How many ways do you wanna die?
by StayClose
Summary: So, this is my take on Saints Row: The Novel. Starting right back at the beginning it follows my female protagonist, Lachance, as she rises from the streets of Stilwater to become the President of the USA and beyond. There's a lot of between mission dialogue/behind the scenes stuff, some changes from the game, and there will be pairings!
1. Chapter 1

_Note: The title comes from a line in the Silversun Pickups song 'The Royal We'. It just seemed to fit the story, and the vibe I get from Lachance._

* * *

'Watches, yo, I got watches here. Hey girl, you wanna buy yo' man somethin' special? Watches, yo.'

It was night-time on the Row, when every fucker would be trying to get their hands on your money, one way or another. The Row was once the most sought-after residential area of the city of Stilwater. However, decades of social deprivation and gang violence had turned it into the run-down, bullet-ridden 'hood it was today. Lachance waved away the guy selling genuinely fake Rolex and headed towards the scantily-clad woman who stood watching the road.

'Hey baby,' she purred, turning as Lachance approached. 'I could show you- oh, hey boss.'

'Shit, don't call me that, Delisa. How's it goin'?'

When Delisa laughed, her dark brown eyes sparkled. 'Sugar, I just say that to watch you squirm. Business has been real quiet though. Probably 'cause of those assholes,' she said, and nodded in the direction of three young guys busily spray-painting a wall further up the street. All three were wearing gang colours. Yellow. Shit. That meant Vice Kings. As the name implied, they made a lot of their paper selling pussy. Lachance knew that running even one girl in a district of Stilwater the Kings considered their turf was enough to get her shot. And she had two.

'Hey, maybe just call it a night, alright?' Lachance said, watching them warily.

'This ain't their street, sugar. I'm fine right here.'

'If those motherfuckers are tagging it, it's their street. C'mon, I'll walk you home.'

Her girl made a big show of pouting her beautiful full lips before reluctantly taking the arm Lachance offered. Delisa leaned against her shoulder as they set off, away from the Vice Kings. 'I'm so lucky to have a pimp like you, honey,' she sighed.

Lachance laughed. 'Shit, don't call me your pimp neither. I prefer the term 'madam'. What the fuck-'

Sounds of a fight behind them made her reach for the gun she kept tucked into the back of her jeans, hidden by her baggy grey t-shirt. As she turned, Lachance could see that the Vice Kings had been surrounded by a bunch of guys wearing blue, and were proceeding to beat the shit out of each other.

The girls pressed against the wall as one of the guys in blue staggered past them, pressing his hands over the blood that poured from his belly. Lachance took hold of Delisa's arm to get her attention as a red car pulled up to the ones still fighting. Red meant the Carnales. She had to get Delisa out of here before the bullets started flying. 'Quick, take those fuckin' shoes off, we're gonna have to run,' she said, eyeing the five inch platforms her girl was tottering around on.

The gun felt heavy in her hand as she kept it close to her side, heart racing as Delisa fumbled with the ankle straps of her shoes. Lachance felt the overwhelming urge to laugh as she cursed how slowly the whore was getting undressed.

Gunshots made Delisa scream as she kicked away her shoes, and she held her hands over her head. Lachance grabbed her by the elbow and together they hunched over and ran across the road, heading towards an alleyway that led through to the next block. The rising roar of a car engine over the noise of automatic weapons' fire caused Lachance to risk a look down the street.

'Just run,' was all she managed to shout as she pushed Delisa out of the way.

Lachance was flipped like a doll as the car's front bumper clipped the back of her leg, and the ground raced up to smack her as she spun. A sickening pain crunched through her knee joint, and the gun flew from her hand as she rolled. When she finally stopped, she found herself staring up at a streetlight. She tried to sit up, but cried out at the pain that ripped through her side and knee as she fell back down.

The rattle of gunfire murderously close made Lachance force herself to sit up again, biting her lip against the agony of even that simple movement. She found herself staring down the barrel of a gun. She looked up into the calm brown eyes of a Vice King as he shrugged.

'Wrong time, wrong place, bitch,' he said, so she would know it was nothing personal.

There was a single pistol shot.

**x.x.x**

'You okay playa?'

Lachance opened her eyes. 'Am I dead?' she groaned. 'Though, I kinda pictured you different, man.'

Tall, black, middle-aged, the man who had called her 'playa' reached out his hand. He smiled. 'And who do you think I am, kid? God?'

'Fuck no, the other guy,' she said. 'Shit, ah-' Lachance bit back a yell as he helped her to stand. She put her arm around his shoulders and leaned heavily. He was built pretty solid for an old man.

'Julius, let's move,' said the man with him.

The Carnales' car that had hit her was now smoking ominously against the wall it had crashed into, and it was uncomfortably close. Lachance limped away with Julius supporting her. Dead gang members lay sprawled on the road and sidewalk, the pools of their blood appearing black in the streetlight. She ducked her head and swore as the car behind exploded and blast of searing hot air rocked the three.

Julius lowered her down so she could sit with her back against the wall of an abandoned store. There was only concern in his dark eyes, but as he reached out his hands to her knee, Lachance shifted away.

'Yo, it's cool, man. I'm fine,' she said.

Julius frowned and backed away, holding his hands out. 'You should get that looked at. That's Troy, you can thank him later,' he said, indicating the other guy. Troy nodded and she noticed the gun in his hand. He must have shot the Vice King who was going to kill her. He was white, maybe Irish, and looked to be in his mid-thirties. Short brown hair and a neat goatee, he was kinda cute for an older guy.

'Hey, thanks. I owe you,' she said. He shrugged and took another drag of his cigarette as Julius spoke.

'The Row ain't safe no more, kid. We got gangs fighting over shit that ain't theirs. And if you get in the way, they don't care if you representin' or not,' he said.

'Julius, this is no time to recruit,' snapped Troy. Sirens in the distance were making him twitchy.

'We need all the help we can get, son,' Julius said.

'Her? She's just a girl. We need to get our asses outta here,' Troy said. He sighed in frustration as Julius ignored him. Lachance resisted throwing him a dirty look, he had just saved her life.

'In a minute. Now, I saw what you did, how you helped your friend escape. You got spirit, kid. Look, the Row's got a problem. Come to the church when you wanna be part of the solution.' As the sirens got closer, he stood and they walked away.

Lachance watched them go before pulling herself up. She tested her weight on her busted knee but the grinding pain made her want to throw up. Kneecaps should never be sat halfway up your thigh. She sat back down miserably and took out her phone. She was pretty sure a couple of ribs were broken too.

Before she could dial, a small voice called to her from the dark alley. 'Hey, sugar, you okay?'

'I thought I told you to run?' Lachance said, as Delisa made her way over to her.

'I did, then I came back for you,' she said, helping her up. 'And my shoes.'

**x.x.x**

'_The Saints?_ Shit, man,' Lachance said with a laugh. She passed a beer to Vinnie.

'Hey, s'what I heard. The Third Street Saints. That Julius wants to wipe the other gangs outta the Row. He's givin' a speech or some shit in an hour.'

It had been two months since Lachance had nearly died on that corner. Her ribs had healed and her dislocated kneecap had been reset, and even though it still ached on a morning, she felt nearly back to normal. And shit, most of her ached on a morning, depending on who she had spent the night with.

'I might go join up. Fuck knows it's getting more dangerous for my girls to turn tricks.' Lachance twisted the cap from her beer and sat down on the couch next to Vinnie. She used the heel of her boot to clear some of the shit off her coffee table so he could lay out her order. With deft hands, he cut up three fat lines of coke from the small bag he had brought and passed her a rolled dollar bill. She leaned forwards and snorted one, then sat back and took a swig of her beer.

'Shouldn't drink on this stuff, man,' Vinnie said.

'Jesus, Vin. I never knew you gave a shit. Or is it just my repeat business you're worried about, bitch?' she asked, rubbing her hand over the short black stubble of his shaved head. He shook off her hand and told her to go fuck herself. She did another line then stood and moved over to the window. Her view mainly comprised of the rear of a stripclub, where some guy was getting blown by the bins. Well, it was midday.

She rubbed her nose and felt her heart rate start to pick up. She sniffed. 'Fuck it, man. I'm going down to that church. How much do I owe you?' she asked, grabbing a handful of crumpled notes from the ass pocket of her tight grey jeans. Delisa and Kaja had delivered her cut of their money last night.

'The usual. But I'm gonna have to start puttin' my prices up if the Carnales keep killin' my suppliers.'

'Shit, my heart fuckin' bleeds for you, dude. Here,' she said, passing him the money. When he left, Lachance sat down took the last line that had been laid out, foot tapping on the floor. She looked through her bedroom doorway at Kaja still laid out on the bed, suicide blonde hair in a pretty mess around her head. Lachance gently shook her shoulder and smiled as large blue eyes lined with smudged black khol blinked up at her.

'Hey beautiful. You gonna get up? My money ain't gonna earn itself, bitch,' she said, not unkindly.

'Yes, yes. You are slave driver. I go, I go,' muttered Kaja, smiling.

Lachance grabbed her leather jacket from the corner it had been thrown in last night. She picked up a switchblade from the coffee table before pulling the apartment door shut behind her.

**x.x.x**

The church in Mission Beach had once been beautiful. But, like the rest of the Row, it now looked like shit. Spray-paint graffiti covered every surface of the old building, and the stained-glass windows were boarded up. Empty liquor bottles littered the churchyard, and Lachance kicked one as she walked up to the crowd of purple-clad men gathered by the front steps. She rubbed her nose as she stood towards the back.

Julius surveyed the crowd from the top of the steps. The guy called Troy was watching from his left.

'Every motherfucka here knows what we need to do. Those bitches be ridin' around, thinkin' they own these streets. I don't care what flags they're flyin', Rollerz, Carnales, Vice Kings… no-one's making this nigga scared to walk the Row. We 'bout to lock this shit down. Right now.' Cheers met his words as Julius gave his rallying cry.

'Fuck yeah,' yelled a tall Asian guy. He glanced at Lachance. 'Hey, sweet thing. You lost?' he asked, his voice a deep purr. Some of the other Saints started to look her up and down. Some fucker whistled. Her hand moved to the pocket that held her switchblade.

Julius caught her eye over the top of the crowd. He nodded. 'Hey, playa. It's been a while. Didn't think we'd see you down here.' To the tall guy he added, 'Troy and I found her. I was gonna see if she would ride with us.'

'Yo, she can ride with me,' a voice laughed to her right.

'Shut the fuck up, Kowalski,' Troy said.

The tall guy gave her a long look. The tips of his spiky black hair had been bleached out white, and she saw herself reflected in his sunglasses. A nasty little smile curled one side of his mouth and he turned back to the steps. 'Julius, if this girl wants to run with the Saints, she's gotta be canonised,' he said. There were low harsh chuckles and jokes from the guys around her.

'He's right, Julius. Everyone has to do it,' Troy said.

Fuckin' A. Lachance could feel her heart in her chest as it beat, her buzz was starting to peak, and she felt fucking invincible. This was where she was meant to be.

'You ready for this, playa?' Julius asked.

Lachance shrugged out of her jacket to more whistles, and slung it over a gravestone. Hopefully one of the whistling motherfuckers would step up. She placed her blade on top of her jacket and rolled her shoulders.

'Rules are simple. You go against five guys, and it's over when you get knocked the fuck out. Or if you lay them out, but... I ain't puttin' money on that,' explained the tall guy.

'Shit, fine, whatever. C'mon, yo.' Lachance was hopping in place. He arched an eyebrow and nodded to several Saints. Big ones. The rest stood back and made a rough circle around them, laughing and pointing at the chick who was about to get her ass kicked.

Glances were exchanged among the five, and two stepped forward first, stocky guys, both with black hair. Lachance was bouncing in place, hands in loose fists at her sides.

'Hey, sorry about this, baby. We'll make it quick,' said the one approaching from her left. The other guy lunged, hoping to send her towards his buddy. Instead, she stepped right and caught him under the nose with the heel of her hand, his own motion giving the blow extra power. His head snapped back, eyes rolling in surprise and pain.

'Oh, shit bro.'

'Pssh, lucky strike, yo.'

Hissed intakes of air came from the Saints watching as he fell, blood running down his face. But there were whoops as Lachance was knocked to one knee by a kidney punch from the guy who had called her 'baby'. Biting back nausea, she rolled away from the kick aimed at her chin, and stood to face him. When he strode forwards to swing a fist at her face, she caught his arm as it sailed past, and drove her elbow into his throat. He choked and dropped to his knees.

More hisses from the spectators.

'Fuckin' waste the bitch.'

'That ho jacked Milano,' she heard as she smiled to the other three, who had started to warily make their way forward.

It was a bum rush. The three ran at her at the same time, and she managed to kick one hard in the crotch but the other two slammed into her. They crashed to the churchyard floor. Cheers erupted around the circle when her head whipped to the side as she was punched by the blonde guy who had straddled her waist.

'Not the face, bitch,' Lachance swore and grabbed him under his jaw, fingers digging into the arteries under his ears and finding the pressure points there. His face bloomed dark red then went slack as he fell unconscious, but stars shot through her vision and she bit her tongue as she was kicked in the head. Her hand reached out blindly and found the leg of her assailant, and twisted the nerves and tendons at the back of his knee. He cried out and crumpled to the floor beside her. She rolled onto him, blinking and spitting out a mouthful of blood, before punching him in the face and slamming his head into the asphalt.

Her breath was heavy as her eyes found the guy she had kicked in the dick. She could feel the blood running down her chin. He was still on his knees, and he held up a hand.

'Whoa, shit. I'm done, I'm out, man,' he shouted, and laid on the ground to whistles and catcalls around the circle.

With a laugh, Lachance wiped her bloody hands on her jeans and stood as Troy stepped forwards. He took her sticky hand in his and pulled her into an embrace.

'You earned your colours today,' he said, but as he pulled back he looked closely at her eyes.

She quickly turned to a cute young black guy who also grabbed her hand and pulled her into a hug.

'That's some impressive shit. The only other Saint who kicked ass like that was Johnny,' he said, nodding to the tall, spiky-haired guy.

Johnny gave her a dismissive look. 'Shit, took me half the time,' he muttered.

'I'm Dex, by the way,' said the guy who still had hold of her hand. She smiled.

'Hey, I'm Lachance.' She had to spit out some more blood. Dex stepped away and she felt along her cheekbone. Bruised, but not broken. Good.

Finally, Julius walked up to her. 'Welcome, to the Third Street Saints,' he said. Another hug.


	2. Chapter 2

Perched on a gravestone, holding a tissue to her mouth, Lachance listened to Julius as he spoke to the Saints.

'Now, let's get down to business. If we're serious about takin' back the Row, we gotta let those motherfuckas know what time it is. Now, you break it down, and it's all about respect. We get enough of it, they're gonna back off and we're gonna move right on in. We got some friends in town that could use some help. Lend them a hand.' He looked over to Johnny. 'Of course, you can always just drop any motherfucka flyin' the wrong flag. As long as word gets out that the Saints is on the Row, I don't give a damn how you do it. You feel me?'

She nodded along with the others, and watched as they started to disperse. Julius whispered something to Troy, looking at her.

Troy walked up, cigarette in hand. 'C'mon, we need to get you cleaned up and wearin' the right colours. And you need to get a piece if that flick knife's all you got.'

Taking the tissue from her face, she stuck out her tongue at him. 'Yo, is it still bleeding?' she asked with a lisp.

He frowned. 'Are you high, kid? Your pupils are blown to hell.'

'Ugh, so what if I am? Though I'm pretty much riding the downswing now, man.' She stood up and grabbed her jacket.

Troy flipped his cigarette butt away and led Lachance through the churchyard to his car. He unlocked a four-door sedan that had been sprayed in the ubiquitous Saints purple. Two white stripes ran down the length of the car.

'Dude, a Zircon? Good choice,' Lachance said, as she threw herself into the passenger seat. 'Looks like a piece o' nothin' but accelerates like shit off a stick, right? Gotta watch it round tight corners though.'

The interior was surprisingly clean and neat, and a little air-freshener tree hung from the rear-view mirror.

'Know a bit about cars do you?' asked Troy. His hand rested on the back of her seat while he turned to reverse out and she noted the Celtic cross tattoo down the length of his forearm. Definitely Irish.

'Meh, I've boosted a few since I've been out,' she said with a shrug. She sat forward to open the glove compartment but he swatted her hand away.

'Out?'

'Yeah, like, I was inside, now I'm out.'

'Juvie? What did you do?'

'God, the questions, man. Can't you go any faster, you drive like my dad, yo. Ha, just shittin' with you, I don't know who my dad is.' She squinted at him. 'Shit, you could be my dad for all that I know. How fucked up would that be?'

Troy sighed as she laughed.

When they pulled up outside of the clothes shop, Branded, Troy looked her over. Lachance followed his eyes. There were large spatters of blood down the front of her oversized khaki shirt, and smears over her jeans where she had tried to clean her hands. Her hands were still streaked here and there, her knuckles swollen and cracked, and she could feel the tightness of the bruise forming on her face. She rubbed her nose.

'What size are you, kid?' Maybe you should just stay in the car,' he said.

'Aw, hell no. I ain't trustin' my dad to buy my gear.'

She hopped out of the car as he swore under his breath.

**x.x.x**

'Welcome to my crib,' Lachance said as she kicked open the door to her apartment. She dumped her bags on the floor and pulled off her boots. 'Just throw them down wherever. There's beer in the kitchen,' she called to Troy as he followed her in with more bags.

'Nah, I'm good, thanks. Jesus-' Troy turned away quickly when he saw that she had already stripped off her bloody shirt.

'S'up man? I'm still wearing pants,' she said. There were patches of blood on her chest where it had soaked through her clothes. She grabbed a couple of bags. 'I'm gonna jump in the shower. Make yourself at home.'

As the hot water needled against her skin, Lachance closed her eyes. She was part of the Saints now, when she came out of this shower she would only ever wear purple again. Well, maybe that would be pushing it too far. Head-to-toe purple would just scream ghetto pimp.

She wondered about her new family as she scrubbed at her skin, watching the rust-coloured water swirl away. Troy seemed like a good guy, if a bit on edge, like he couldn't quite relax around her. She'd already decided that Johnny was a dick. Dex was cute…

She smiled as she rinsed and turned the water off.

Dry, clean, dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans and now sporting a long purple vest, Lachance walked back into the living room. No sign of Troy. She found him in the kitchen, stirring a cup of coffee.

'It's like you've got a split personality,' he said, waving around the room with his cup.

In contrast to the teenage boy's bedroom that the rest of her apartment resembled, the kitchen was spotless. A row of recipe books ran along the length of one wall, there were racks of neatly labelled herbs and spices, and a set of wickedly sharp Wusthof knives on the counter. She shrugged and pulled open the fridge to grab a beer.

Troy leant back against a cupboard and sipped his coffee. 'Okay, so Julius asked me to make sure you're strapped. We're gonna be going after some of the other gangs soon. You cool with that?'

'Sure, man. I lost my nine mil' back when you saved my ass. Been feelin' naked without it.'

'I mean, have you ever had to shoot anyone?' he asked.

'Yeah, I have.'

He was watching her carefully. 'Ever kill anyone?'

'Shit, Troy. Yeah, I have. You're doing it again with the questions, you know.' Lachance took a long swig of beer. The bubbles stung the bite marks on her tongue.

'I'm just trying to figure you out, kid.'

They sat in silence as they finished their drinks until Troy suggested they should drive to the nearby Friendly Fire gun shop. As they walked through the living room, he caught her wrist when she reached for the little bag of white powder on the coffee table.

'The fuck, dude?' Lachance glared at him.

'You're representing the Saints now. I won't have you riding with me if you're high. C'mon, you don't need this shit. In fact, I want you to flush it.'

Lachance stared at him for a long time. 'But-'

'I don't wanna hear it. Flush it, and any other shit you got.' He folded his arms.

'Fuck me,' she muttered.

She thought about telling him to stick the Saints up his ass, but she remembered how she had felt after she had been canonised. How her new brothers had pulled her to them, regardless of the blood that covered her. She had been accepted, and she now had an opportunity to prove herself in this city. And... she could always buy more when Troy had fucked off.

'Okay, okay. Fuck. Do you know how expensive this stuff is now? And I get it at a discount. Shit.' She continued cursing under her breath as she collected up several other bags from around the apartment, and as Troy watched, she emptied them all out into the toilet and pulled the handle.

'You'll thank me for this one day,' he said as she grimaced.

'Ugh, can we just go and buy a gun now?'

'Listen, I want to make a deal with you. If you can promise me you won't touch this shit again, I'll buy you any gun you want.'

'Hold the fuck up. Why would you do that?' Lachance asked, looking up into warm brown eyes.

'There's something about you, kid. Julius saw it that first night when you protected your girl. And you managed to kick the shit out of five of our biggest guys while high as fuck. I think it'd be a waste if you end up as just another junkie on these streets.'

'I… any gun?'

'Any _handgun_. And I'll be checking on you. If your eyes are blown or pinned or anythin' when you roll with us, then I'll shoot you.'

Lachance held out her hand. She knew exactly which one she wanted. 'Deal.'

**x.x.x**

There was a whirr and a flash of silver as the empty cylinder of the large revolver spun. Lachance snapped her wrist to replace it, drew back the hammer and sighted down the barrel. She pulled the trigger to a hollow 'click'. The clerk was giving Troy his sales pitch but her heart had already been won.

'Don't you think it's a little big?'

'Well sir, normally I wouldn't recommend the .44 Shepherd to a little lady like your daughter, but she seems to be able to handle it. And you have the peace of mind knowing that this beauty could stop a charging rhino in it's tracks.'

'Goddamn it, she's not my daughter,' muttered Troy. Lachance stifled a snort of laughter.

'Thanks, dad. You're the best,' she trilled once they were outside the shop. The revolver was too large to fit under her arm in a shoulder holster so it hung at her hip, cowboy style. The clerk had thrown in a couple of boxes of .44 magnum ammo, which she carried in a paper bag.

Troy sighed. 'How old are you?'

'I'm nineteen next month, but I get that I look younger. All this clean livin', yo,' she said as she took the cigarette from his hand.

'I am no way old enough to be your father,' he said. His eyebrows pulled together as he thought. 'Okay, so maybe it's technically possible…'

'So, how old are you, man?'

'I'm thirty-fucking-two.'

'Ha, so more like shifty uncle then, yeah?' she said. Lachance rubbed her nose while she looked down at her boots. 'Hey, I just wanna… ah shit. Just, thanks, okay? For real.'

When she looked up, Troy had a small smile on his face. 'It's cool, kid.'

'You should smile more often, man. Makes you look way younger,' she said with a laugh as he took his cigarette back. They fell into step as they headed to the end of the street. Troy had parked just around the corner. 'What we doin' now?' she asked.

'Now, I'm taking you home- Shit. Get back.' Troy pulled her behind him as his other hand went for his pistol. Lachance instantly put her hand to her hip.

'What is it?' she hissed.

'VK's, three of 'em, around my car.'

'Oh dude, this is perfect. I got this,' Lachance said, as she dropped her bag of ammo and slid her shiny new revolver out of it's holster. People on the street were starting to cross the road and hurry away from the pair.

'Jesus, this isn't a game-' his words died as he turned to look at her.

Flaky junkie persona gone, Lachance met his eyes with a look of cold, calculated murder. 'I got this,' she said again, quietly.

Troy stepped back as she moved to the corner, thumbing back the hammer of her gun.

There's always a moment in the anticipation of violence, where time seems to stretch out. It's quiet, but brimming with tension, like the intake of breath before the screaming starts. She lived for these moments.

Lachance turned and swept the revolver up and across with both hands, firing at the nearest Vice King's chest. The recoil was immense, but she had braced herself for it, and was already pulling back the hammer as she turned her sights to the next target as the first one fell.

'_Third Street Saints!_' she heard herself shout, as she pulled the trigger again, and a rose of blood bloomed from the ruin of the second VK's throat. The third guy was reaching for his own gun as she swept to him, and she checked her aim to slam a bullet into his shoulder. He was screaming as she strode over to him, and she brought the gun down on the bridge of his nose, smiling at the dull crack as it broke.

'Shut the fuck up.' Voice low, deadly. He whimpered. Lachance took the pistol from the waistband of his baggy jeans and tossed it back towards Troy. Wide eyes stared up at her as she pulled at her vest. 'You see these colours, bitch? We're the motherfuckin' Saints. Take it to yo' homies, take it to yo' boss, this is our motherfuckin' Row. And we're comin' for you.' He slumped to the ground after she used the gun again to hit him across the temple.

'Well, holy shit,' Troy said.

**x.x.x**

'You know I'm just gonna ask more questions, right?' Troy said around his cigarette.

They were standing outside of her apartment block, the early evening sky turning blush pink above them. They had driven there in silence.

'Go on then. I might not answer 'em all though.' Lachance checked her phone. No messages.

'Where did you learn to shoot like that?'

'My mom taught me when I was little. Said it was an essential skill for a girl in this city,' she said with a bitter smile.

'So where is she now?'

'Dead, and don't ask me about her, man. You might feel like we've bonded but I've still only known you half a day.'

Troy held out his hands. 'Okay. But I can't believe she gave a little girl a revolver, yet you were ready for the kick from that fucker. I've seen grown men smack themselves in the face first time they shot somethin' like that.'

'Ha, you're right there. She didn't. And the first time I did, I broke my fuckin' nose. See?' She pointed at the small bump and faded white scar. Her phone vibrated in her pocket. There was a message from Kaja, checking in. Delisa had worked the day shift so she would be expecting a message from her any moment now to say she was back home. 'Yo, Troy, do the Saints run whores?'

Troy gave her a look. 'You want some company this evening?'

'What? No... unless you wanna?'

'What? Jesus-'

'Okay, okay, shit. No need to say it like that, man. Anyway, what I mean is I run two girls, didn't know happens to them now I'm a Saint.'

'Huh. Bring it to Julius, he'll let you know.' He paused. 'And... you shouldn't just give it away like that, kid. You said it yourself, you've only known me half a day. You shouldn't be so quick to wanna jump into bed with guys like me.'

'Hey, you don't know a thing about me so you can fuck off tryin' to tell me how to live my fuckin' life. We done here?' Lachance didn't wait for an answer as she turned and pushed open the door to her building, slamming it behind her.

Once back in her apartment, she let out the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. Her hand went to the holster at her hip and drew the polished stainless steel weapon. Running her thumb over the raised lettering along the barrel that spelled out 'SHEPHERD', she remembered the first time she had seen it.

It had hung from the back of his chair, achingly close yet always out of her reach, tied as she was to the soiled mattress in that dank prison. It was all she could do to dream about one day turning it on its owner.

She shook her head to clear the memory, and slumped down on the sofa. Unconsciously, she reached forward to the coffee table and swore again when she realised the contents of the bag of coke were now swirling their way through the sewers of Stilwater. She thought about calling Vinnie but paused with her finger over the 'dial' button, looked again at the revolver laid on her knee, and put the phone down.


	3. Chapter 3

A loud banging at the front door dragged her awake with a start, and a groan. Several empty beer bottles rolled off the coffee table as she moved her feet off it to try and stand.

'Fu-uck, what is it?' Lachance shouted at the door.

'Open up kid, it's a bright new day,' Troy shouted back.

She groaned again and pulled open the door to let him in. She swore half-heartedly as he took hold of her chin and tilted her head up.

'The fuck are you doin' here?'

He nodded to himself. 'You stormed off before giving me your phone number yesterday. How're you feelin' this morning?'

'Just peachy. Now will you fuck off?' She asked, pulling away from his grasp.

'Get a shower, I'll make some coffee. Julius wants to see you in an hour. Move,' said Troy.

'Wait, Julius? Why? Ugh.' She rubbed her eyes as he opened the curtains.

'Move,' he said.

It was only when she was getting dry did she remember she was meant to be pissed at Troy. She had the hangover from hell, she was aching all over from the fight yesterday, and she really, really wanted a line of coke.

'I swear, you only want me for my coffee, man,' she said as she accepted a cup from him in the kitchen. She held it in both hands as she shivered.

'Hey, I'll admit, it's some of the best I've had. What is it?'

Lachance sniffed it. 'This is Nicaragua. Don't you think it tastes like dark chocolate? I get the beans whole, keep 'em in the freezer so they stay fresh, and grind 'em in small batches to- what?'

'Nothing.' Troy was smiling. 'Just don't think I'll ever figure you out, kid.'

'Fuck you, whatever. D'you know what Julius wants?' She imagined this is what being called in front of the principle felt like.

'No idea. So hurry up.'

Coffee finished, Lachance grabbed her gun and leather jacket, and filled a jacket pocket with spare ammo. She followed Troy out into the street, blinking against the bright sun, but pulled the long sleeves of her purple top over her hands and shivered again. If Troy noticed, he didn't mention it. They walked the couple of blocks to the church, and found Julius waiting for them on the steps.

'Hey, playa. I'm not gonna fuck around. Troy told me 'bout the way you took out those VK yesterday, said it was some damn fine work. So that makes you a banger now, a soldier. I got a tip there's gonna be a turf war over at the docks on Harrowgate today. All three gangs are gonna come with power, so if we crash it, we can take out lieutenants from blue, yellow and red.'

'And Saints can hold down the district,' Lachance said.

'Exactly,' Julius said.

'Hold up. Julius, you sure we should bring her? I know what I said but this, this is gonna be rough. What about bringing Johnny instead or-'

'Troy, you worry too much. The kid'll be fine.'

'Yeah, Troy,' Lachance said.

'Show some motherfuckin' respect,' snapped Julius. Troy tried to smother his smile.

It paid testament to Julius' presence and power that all Lachance did in response was mutter 'Sorry.'

'You might be a killa, girl, but Troy and the other lieutenants are your goddamned superiors. Remember that.'

'Hey, it's cool, Julius. Do you know when we'll be rollin'?' Troy asked.

'Not yet, but I should get a call when it's goin' down.'

Troy nodded to Lachance. 'C'mon, kid, let's get some breakfast.'

**x.x.x**

The blue Formica counter-top was chipped, and a layer of grease seemed to coat everything. Lachance wrinkled her nose. 'Dude, you seriously like the food here?'

Her request for porridge had been met with a sneer from the beauty school drop-out behind the counter, so Lachance pushed her fork around the plate of watery scrambled eggs.

'You need to eat somethin', you're gonna need it. Shit, I didn't think Julius would be taking you out so soon. You look like crap today, kid,' Troy said, taking a huge bite out of his sandwich. A yellow blob plopped from it onto his plate.

Lachance dropped her fork and rubbed her head. 'Just hungover, man.'

'Hmm, and I suppose giving up the dope yesterday has nothin' to do with it? How much were you even taking?'

'Ugh, that's none of your business. Quittin' coke ain't no thing anyway. Not like crystal or whatever. Now that's a hard rattle. And did you forget I got kicked in the fuckin' head yesterday too?' She took a bite of her bagel, and was surprised that it wasn't too bad. 'Why you got such a hard-on against drugs anyway, man? When we take the Carnales outta the Row, we're gonna be the ones slangin' dope.'

'I ain't got a problem with 'em generally, recreationally. But you coulda died at that jump-in yesterday if you weren't such a...'

'Badass ninja?'

Troy shook his head. 'My point is that you were high before steppin' out your door. That kinda use'll get you fucked up, kid.'

'Fine, shit, whatever. You're my interventions angel. So just drop it, okay?' Lachance said.

They finished up breakfast and left Freckle Bitch's, heading back to the church. There were about twenty other Saints there, Lachance recognised a couple that she had fought the day before. Troy left her to go strategise with Julius, so she found an empty pew in the rear corner of the church and tried to have a nap, pulling her jacket tightly around her.

She was just drifting off when someone heavy sat down next to her, making the old wooden bench creak.

'Hey, homie,' said a deep voice.

Opening one eye, she saw that the guy who had punched her in the face yesterday was holding out a pack of cigarettes. He was young, probably near her age, blonde, and had massive arms covered in tattooed sleeves. She sat up and accepted one, leaning forward so he could light it for her. She hadn't noticed how hot he was when they were trying to beat the shit out of each other.

'Hey,' she said. Taking a drag, she eyed the bruises on his neck. 'How're you feelin' today?'

He chuckled. 'Yo, I was gonna ask you the same thing. It's Lachance, right?'

'Yeah. This fucker took enough coverin' with concealer, bitch,' she said with a smile, pointing to her swollen cheekbone. 'What's your name, bro?'

'Alex. I feel bad about that. Just wanted to knock you out quick and- ah shit, that sounds so rapey,' he said with a laugh. 'You from the Row? I don't remember seein' you around growin' up.'

'Nah, just moved here 'bout a year ago. But it's home, you know?'

'I can dig that. Hey, let me introduce you to some of the other guys.' Alex waved over a few Saints, who ambled over. Josh, Noah, Enrique, Tony, and a huge bald guy known only as 'Sue'. She didn't ask why. Their attitude was completely different now she was one of them; there were nervous smiles, fist-bumps and handshakes, jokes and compliments.

The day passed slowly, and she could see the tension building in the Saints as it grew late. Some were chain-smoking, or clock-watching, some kept reloading and checking their weapons. Her .44 was met with jealous sighs from Noah and Enrique.

One guy she didn't know the name of was bodily thrown out of the church by Troy for getting wasted and waving a shotgun around. As Troy headed back towards the offices, he nodded at Lachance.

'So, did you spend all day with Troy yesterday?' Alex asked, his leg rocking restlessly.

'Yeah, doesn't he babysit all new recruits?' Lachance said.

'Nope, he's barely said three fuckin' words to me since I joined,' Alex said. The others nodded.

'I heard you dropped three VK with him yesterday, that's hardcore, man,' Enrique said. He was Spanish, tall and lean, with long brown hair tied back in a ponytail.

She just shrugged, and Sue ruffled her hair with a hand the size of a shovel. 'Ha, check out the modesty on this one. Glad you're on our side, girl,' he rumbled.

'Yo, hands off the merchandise,' she said, swiping at his arm.

Alex sat up as Troy and Julius walked out of the offices and started to mobilise the Saints at the front of the church.

'I think we're rolling, homies,' Enrique said as they stood.

'Fuckin' A,' Lachance said. Troy waved her over. 'We on?' she asked him as the Saints started piling out of the building around them, laughing and shouting.

'Yeah, Julius just got the call. I want you to stay with us,' he said.

'Aw, c'mon, man. I don't need no special treatment just 'cause I'm a fuckin' girl.'

'It ain't that. But you stick by my side, or you ain't comin'. Up to you.' Troy had that look on his face again as he folded his arms.

'Fine, shit,' she muttered.

As they headed outside to Troy's car, Alex ran up and touched her elbow.

'Hey, do you wanna, you know, hang out tonight? Just me and you?' he asked.

Lachance smiled. 'Sure, I'd like that.'

Troy made a frustrated noise, so she leaned up quickly and kissed Alex on the cheek. 'Later,' she said quietly, looking into his blue eyes.

'Cool,' Alex said. He smiled and ran back to the car he would be riding in, and she walked over to Troy's Zircon.

A fleet of purple cars started to race down the street, Saints hanging out the windows and whooping 'Third Street!' as they roared past.

'C'mon, Julius,' shouted Troy, as Lachance climbed into the backseat of his car. She pulled two speedloaders out of her jacket pocket and fitted six rounds into each, then slipped the cords around her wrist. She saw Troy watching her through the rear-view mirror.

'Where'd you get those?' he asked.

'These? Lifted 'em from Friendly Fire when you weren't looking,' she replied.

Before Troy could say anything else, Julius slammed into the passenger seat. 'Let's move,' he said.

**x.x.x**

The scene at the docks was like something out of a war zone. Scratch that, it _was_ a war zone.

The tiredness that had dogged her all day had completely vanished, replaced with an eager anticipation to prove herself, and, if she was being totally honest, more than a few nerves as well.

Bullets whined overhead as Lachance and Troy threw themselves behind a crate. The unrelenting cracks and rattles of gunfire came from all over the area, interlaced with gang shouts and the screams of the wounded.

'Cover me, I'll flank that bitch,' she said, swearing when Troy grabbed the back of her jeans.

'You cover me,' he said.

'Fine, go.' Lachance stood and fired at the crates to their right as Troy ran ahead. Her heart was racing as she saw puffs of red blood as Troy took out the Roller hiding there.

The Saints spread out across the dock, taking out red, yellow and blue as they were distracted fighting each other. Purple weren't seen as a threat at first, but Lachance and her brothers soon put an end to that.

Her back up against the corrugated metal wall of a warehouse, Lachance realised that she had lost sight of Troy. She ducked as a molotov flew to her left and crashed into a stack of boxes, covering a VK in burning liquid. She shot him in the head, cutting off his screams and the wild firing of his submachine gun.

'Good shot,' yelled a Saint as a group of purple ran past. She followed them, dropping behind a crate when several Carnales opened fire as they ran. Her breathing was heavy and a wave of dizziness rolled through her. She shook her head and took another shot to help cover the Saints nearby and they continued pressing forward.

_'Grenade!_'

The shout sent ice through her veins. Lachance covered her head as the whole world seemed to explode, and she was peppered by splinters of burning wood.

Ears ringing, she staggered up and looked along the boardwalk. A large chunk of walkway had been blown away, dropping boxes and bodies into the water below. There were several fallen Saints nearby, one with blond hair and tattooed arms, blood pouring from his chest. She dropped to her knees at his side, barely noticing the bullet that whizzed past her face. Staring up at nothing, Alex was already dead.

Suddenly she was being dragged backwards behind a storage container.

'You okay? Lachance?' The voice was fuzzy. 'C'mon, don't fall apart on me now. Look at me.' Troy took hold of her jaw, and she wrenched her eyes away from Alex's body.

'He... we were… oh fuck, Troy.' Her voice broke on his name, as she met his eyes.

'Stop thinking, keep moving,' he said. 'Let's kill these sons of bitches.'

'_No!_' A movement over his shoulder made Lachance throw herself forwards, pushing Troy onto his back. The large revolver in her hand crashed once, and the VK who had snuck up on them jerked and fell, crimson soaking through his yellow shirt where his heart had been.

'Holy shit,' breathed Troy underneath her.

'Holy shit,' she agreed. 'Guess we're even now, huh?' She put a hand on his chest to push herself up, and knelt over his hips. Her fingers traced down to his stomach as she smiled. 'Hey, you're pretty ripped under these baggy threads, yo. Who'd have thought?'

'And she's back. Get the fuck off me,' Troy said with a smile. Lachance stood and helped him up, reloading her gun as Julius ran up with four other Saints. She walked over to the dead Vice King, and grabbed his nine millimetre pistol. The clip was almost full, so she tucked it into the back of her jeans. She swallowed hard as she spared Alex one more look before following Troy, Julius and the others.


	4. Chapter 4

Earlier in the day, when they had been waiting around for the call to action, Lachance had imagined the jubilant celebrations following their victory. However, in the cold light of reality, with so many Saints killed, the mood inside the church that night was much more sombre.

Twenty-six had gone out, nineteen had returned. In such a small crew, those seven deaths weighed heavily. She accepted a bottle of vodka from Sue, who sat by her side, and looked around the nave of the church. Bloody, bruised, burnt, she and the others who had won the docks stood apart, marked by battle, from the other Saints who sat with them on the pews. Scorched holes dotted her purple top, and her knees were soaked in Alex's blood. She drank to him, feeling the burn of cheap alcohol. He had been eighteen, same as her.

Johnny had nearly gotten himself punched by Enrique when they had returned, bragging that if he had gone, none of them would have died. She had helped drag Enrique away, and he now sat at her other side, holding her hand. He accepted the vodka from her, drank deeply, and kissed her forehead. After she had pulled him behind a wall, out of the way of a hail of SMG bullets, he had taken to calling her _hermana_, sister.

Julius stepped up to the pulpit, and raised his hands. Silence fell on the congregation, as the Saints waited for their leader to speak.

'Listen up, people. I got some serious shit to discuss.'

The shoulder of his long leather jacket had been ripped as a bullet had glanced past him, but the old man hadn't flinched as he emptied his clip into the Carnales lieutenant who had fired at him.

'Yeah, we cleared out the Row. At great cost. But do you think for a second this is gonna stop 'em? Unless we wipe all these motherfuckas out, they're gonna keep comin'. It ain't gonna be settled until the Carnales, the Rollerz, and the Vice Kings ain't nothin' but a memory.'

'Fuck yeah,' growled Lachance. Similar sentiments were voiced around her. Every Saint killed would be paid back ten-fold.

'Dex, you got the Carnales. Ever since they hooked up with the Columbians, it's like they own this town. With that drug money rolling in, we can't compete. Be smart how you move against 'em, the Lopez family been running that gang for thirty years. There's a reason they're still around.'

'Got it,' said Dex with a nod. He caught Lachance's eye and smiled before looking away. She felt an elbow dig into her ribs.

'I think he likes you,' Sue whispered.

Julius continued, 'Troy, you're dealing with the Vice Kings.'

'Not a chance,' Troy replied.

'The fuck you say?' Julius couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Neither could Lachance.

'Anyone but them,' Troy said with a shrug.

'You scared of going against Benjamin King?' asked Julius.

Enrique's hand tightened on her own as Johnny spoke up.

'Man, fuck that. I'll take King out,' he said, swaggering forwards.

'_Chapete_,' Enrique muttered.

'Johnny, it's not that simple,' Julius said.

'Bullets still kill motherfuckers right? Don't get much simpler than that.'

Julius looked at Dex. 'Keep an eye on ya boy.'

'I don't need a fuckin' babysitter, Julius,' Johnny said. There was a chuckle next to her.

'Keep an eye on ya boy.'

Dex nodded. Lachance thought it was interesting that Johnny was under Dex, they seemed to be the same age. Actually, Johnny could be older. She guessed Dex must have been a Saint and a lieutenant longer.

'So, who's got the Rollerz?' asked Dex.

'I do.' It was the first female voice Lachance had heard in the church, other than her own. The woman who stepped forwards was breathtakingly beautiful, and wearing fucking blue.

'Lin? The fuck you wearin' blue for?' asked Johnny, thinking the same.

'I asked Lin to hook up with the Rollerz. We don't know much about these fuckas, so I wanted one of us on the inside,' Julius explained.

'Yo, I didn't think the Rollerz pimped hos...' said a guy in a purple hoodie. Lachance remembered his name was Kowalski. He hadn't been at the docks. She was delighted when Lin punched the fucker in the face, then asked if there were any other comments.

'Yeah, when you punch, don't throw your shoulder so much,' Johnny said. Asshole.

Julius concluded his speech, and somebody turned on a stereo. Not really in the mood for celebrating, the Saints got down to the task of drinking to the departed.

**x.x.x**

'Fuck.'

The steps seemed to move under her feet as Lachance attempted to descend. She sat down hard on the cold stone, and looked up at the stars. Those fuckers were moving too. She rested her head against her knees until she remembered that his blood was still covering her jeans.

Music was thumping out of the church behind her.

'Hey,' Troy said, sitting down next to her.

'Oh, hey.'

'You need any help getting home?' he asked.

'S'okay. Gon' sleep here,' she slurred, and patted the step.

'C'mon kid, I'll drive you. I ain't had much.' Troy stood and held out a hand. Or three, Lachance couldn't decide. She was pulled to her feet and threw her arms around his neck as she swayed.

'I think you're cute,' she said and giggled.

'Thanks. You're wasted.'

'Thanks. Wait, no. You s'posed to say I'm cute.'

'You're beautiful,' he said quietly. 'And wasted. C'mon.'

Troy put an arm around her waist and helped her walk down the steps towards his car.

'Now, don't you dare throw up in it,' he warned, pulling open the back door.

'Shush. I'm never sick. Ever.'

He helped her into the back, and she laid out on the seat. She felt the car purr to life beneath her. The journey only took ten minutes, but she was almost asleep when he parked outside of her building.

'Hey, wake up,' Troy said, gently shaking her shoulder.

'Ah, fuck it. Jus' leave me here, man. Jus'... leave me where I fall,' Lachance said as he helped her up again. She felt a tear roll down her face and rubbed angrily at her face. 'This fuckin' city's gon' be ours, man. All of it.'

'I hear you,' Troy said. 'Now go to bed.'

'I mean it. I'm gon' take it all.'

**x.x.x**

Her eyes opened. White cotton bedsheets. Pillowcase smeared in makeup. Possibly her own bed. Her eyes closed.

She was still dressed, so she guessed she was home alone.

Everything hurt.

The ringing in her ears was like the rushing of the sea.

Lachance opened her eyes again and sat up, wincing when she saw from her clock radio it was already past two in the afternoon. She winced again when she remembered telling Troy he was 'cute'. Her phone was on the floor, next to her jacket. Her gun had been carefully placed on the bedside table. Even wasted, she had her priorities straight.

Reaching down to grab her phone, she thought her ears would pop from the pressure in her head. The muscles in her arms, shoulders and back threw in their bitch complaints too.

No messages from Kaja or Delisa, but Lachance had given them a couple of rest days, since she had been busy with the Saints. She needed to talk to Julius about her girls, but the thought of them working for any of the local pimps she knew turned her stomach.

Cursing and groaning, she made her way to the bathroom and stripped off her war-torn clothes. She just stood under the hot water of the shower for a long time, the movements required to get clean were just too much effort. Her tears ran with the water.

Finally, in baggy jeans and a large purple hoodie, she made her way to the church. The hoodie had a very useful pocket at the front where she had stored spare ammo. The Shepherd hung from her hip, already feeling like an extension of her body.

On the churchyard wall, Noah sat with two other Saints.

'Bro,' Lachance said, as he jumped down and pulled her into an embrace.

'Hey, homie.' The quietly spoken black man had been a stranger to her yesterday. Now, after fighting at each other's side, he felt like a brother to her.

'Hey, is Julius around? I gotta talk to him about some shit,' she asked.

'I heard him and Troy's visitin' the families of the guys that died yesterday. Payin' our respects.'

'Blood in, blood out, yo,' said one of the guys next to them.

'Dex was asking about you earlier though. He's in one of the offices with Gat,' Noah said.

'With who?'

'You know, Johnny.'

'Wait, what? That's Johnny Gat? No fuckin' way.'

'Who did you think he was?' Noah looked bemused.

'I dunno… wow. _The_ Johnny Gat. Fuck me. He's a massive douchenozzle.'

The stories of Johnny Gat were things of Row legend. Since she had moved in almost a year ago, nearly everyone she had met had shared a tale of unbelievable violence and bravery about the guy. He was a stone cold killer. Vinnie was a huge fanboy.

As Lachance headed into the church and through to the back offices, she told herself she was mainly going to see what Dex wanted. Not to ogle the 'hood's baddest gangsta.

Dex and Johnny were talking behind a desk when she stuck her head around the door. 'Yo.'

'The fuck do you want?' Johnny asked.

'Hey, Julius said she's to help out,' Dex said.

'Fine.' Johnny kicked a chair hard. 'Take a fuckin' seat, kid.'

The chair scooted across the room and teetered on its legs as she walked forwards. Not breaking her stride, her hand whipped out and caught it before it fell. She slumped into it and stretched her legs out.

'Thanks, man,' she said, casually ignoring his attempt to unsettle her.

'Shit, you don't look like much,' Johnny said. 'Then again, I don't look like I got an eight inch cock, so I guess we're both full of surprises.' He shifted in his chair, and Lachance fought an internal battle not to look. She lost. 'Hey, I'm up here,' he said with a smirk.

She coughed and avoided Dex's eye. 'So, you're takin' on the Vice Kings?'

'How much do you know about 'em?'

'I know they got a stranglehold on the pussy in this town.'

'Well, that's a disturbing image,' Dex said.

'They're named after one guy- hold up, I gotta take this,' Johnny said as he stood and answered his phone. He walked towards the door as he spoke. 'Aisha, what a pleasant fuckin' surprise...'

Dex sat on the edge of the table nearest her. 'Just ignore Johnny. He's always a dick to new members. Did you get home okay last night? Though I guess you must have done since you're here now and not dead in an alley somewhere, not that I think you'd get murdered in an alley… and I'll just stop talkin' now,' he said, looking away as she smiled.

'It's cool. Troy gave me a ride back,' she said.

'Oh right, Troy. Of course he did,' Dex said, his face clouding. Before she could ask what he meant, Johnny interrupted.

'Shit. Aisha's sister has been grabbed right off the fuckin' street by a VK. She managed to text Eesh where she was taken but that's the last she heard.'

'That's the sixth girl this month,' Dex said.

Lachance's eyes flicked up to one of the girly posters that lined the walls. 'Aisha as in that Aisha? Her sister's a whore?' she asked.

'You watch your fuckin' mouth, kid. No, she ain't. VK's been takin' regular girls too to force 'em into hookin'. But I reckon you're safe, who'd pay to fuck your scrawny ass?'

'Fuck you, I'm hot as hell,' Lachance said. Johnny did that thing with his eyebrow again. She remembered her baggy clothes and busted face. 'Bad hair day.'

'Anyway, is Aisha sure it's VK? Straight-up kidnapping doesn't sound like King's style, man,' Dex said, trying to bring the conversation back.

'Yellow car, yellow threads. You go to this location, bring her sister back here, kill anyone in your way. Should be simple enough,' Johnny said to Lachance, passing her a sticky note with an address scrawled on it.

Reminding herself just in time who she was actually about to sass, she took the note without another word and ran out of the church.

x.x.x

Running her hand over the curved, leaf-shaped hood of the car she had boosted, Lachance looked across at the warehouse ahead. A yellow car was parked outside, but she couldn't see any sign of a guard around the outside of the building.

She pushed the keys the previous owner had considerately left tucked in the sun visor into her jeans pocket, and cocked her revolver before heading across the street. When she reached the warehouse door, she put her gun hand into the front pocket of her hoodie. It was fairly obvious what she had concealed in there but she was hoping it would pass the first glance. That was all she needed.

She knocked.

The door was pulled open a crack and a young black guy peered out at her. 'What'cho want, bitch?'

'I was told you're auditionin' for dancers, yeah?' she said, licking her bottom lip.

The door was opened wider as he grinned. 'Fo' sho'. Right this way.'

She'd bet on the guy assuming she had been sent by one of his homies to be grabbed. The grin never left his face as she set her feet and pulled the trigger in her pocket. The recoil knocked the wind out of her but she was already moving past his body and down behind a row of industrial shelves as she heard shouts from two different guys further inside.

Dragging in a lungful of air, she aimed at the doorway ahead, firing once then again as both men blindly ran through from the room beyond. She crept forwards, not daring to believe that this was going to be so easy. Perhaps the VK were so fucking confident that they wouldn't even-

A bullet whined as it stuck the wall where her head had been a moment before as she ducked back from the doorway. Lachance threw herself onto her stomach next to the two dead guys, grimacing as she laid in their blood, and fired once blindly before risking poking her head around the door from floor-level to take proper aim. She had to rush her shot and only caught the guy in the hip as she ducked back again when he howled and fired wildly in her direction.

Her other hand found a pistol one of the dead VK had dropped, and she emptied the clip from around the door, aiming in his general direction. She got lucky and heard a grunt, and his firing stopped. She stood, and glanced around the door.

Sitting against a wall in a pool of blood, the last Vice King was dying. Lachance re-loaded, then stepped from behind the door and shot him in the head. The echo of the shot resonated around the small room, with another sound underneath. Sobbing.

Lachance walked over to a reinforced door and knocked gently. 'Hey, Johnny sent me. I'm a Saint. Are you okay?'

When she knocked there had been a stifled scream. Now there was just more sobbing. 'Please, please don't hurt me,' came a small voice.

'I won't, I'm here to take you back. You're Aisha's sister, right?'

'Yeah. Please let me out,' came the stammered reply.

Lachance tried the handle but it wouldn't move. Of course it would be locked. She grimaced again as she checked the pockets of the dead guys, her hands now slick with blood.

Aisha's sister shrank back when Lachance opened the door, and put her hands over her face.

Lachance rolled her eyes. 'C'mon, stop being a pussy. I'm not gonna hurt you. We need to get out of here,' she said, grabbing the girl's arm and pulling her out of the cell.

'Where are you taking me? Please...'

'Oh, fuck me. We're going to church. C'mon.'


	5. Chapter 5

Lachance left the car back where she found it on the street opposite the church, and replaced the keys in the sun visor. The door lock was busted and there was a smear of blood on the drivers' seat but, hey, tough shit.

Aisha's sister ran ahead to where Aisha and Johnny were waiting outside and threw herself into her sibling's arms. Aisha was just as pretty in real life as she was on TV and in magazines, but she was shorter than Lachance had expected. The international R&B singer held her sister tightly, and flashed Lachance a grateful smile as she walked up.

A frown crossed Johnny's face and he waved his hand at the blood on her hoodie.

'Any of that shit yours?' he asked.

'Nope,' she said.

Johnny poked his finger through the hole in the front pocket. 'Looks like you've been gutshot, kid. Hey, is that ammo in there?'

'Dude, get your finger out of me,' Lachance said, watching how fast Aisha's head snapped round to look at them. Pretty darn fast.

'Took your fuckin' time though, thought I'd have to come and save your ass too,' Johnny said as he withdrew the offending digit.

'God, you haven't changed at all, have you?' Aisha asked, walking towards him. 'You just can't tell a woman when she's done good.'

'Oh, here we go again. We still talkin' about her now, or you?' he snapped.

'It's always the same shit with you. What did you expect me to do? Did you expect me not to take my shot?'

Lachance hopped up onto the churchyard wall to enjoy Johnny's discomfort.

'No, I expected you to remember where you came from,' he said coldly.

'Ooh, harsh,' Lachance leaned over and whispered to Aisha's sister.

'Fuck you, Johnny,' Aisha shouted.

'Fuck me? Fuck you! You're the one who ran off to be famous. The only time you remember who we are is when you want something.'

'Tiffany was kidnapped,' Aisha said incredulously. So that was the girl's name. Lachance hadn't asked, just tried to ignore the snivelling all the way to Mission Beach.

'And I brought her back didn't I?

'No, she did! And you can't even give her credit for that, can you?' Aisha turned to the wall. 'I'm so sorry, I never even asked your name.'

'It's Lachance,' she said.

'Lachance, thank you for rescuing my sister. I mean it.'

'Bullshit. I told her to do it,' Johnny said.

Shaking her head, Aisha put her arm around her sister's shoulders and led her away.

Lachance grinned. 'Wow, man. Just, wow. Do you ever get laid?'

'Shut the fuck up. Anyway, what the fuck were you thinkin', not takin' anyone else with you?'

'The fuck? You told me to go, so I went,' Lachance said, feeling her anger rise.

'You ain't me, kid. You shoulda grabbed some of the guys to go with you.' Johnny eyed the blood on her top, scowling. 'That coulda been yours.'

'Like you give a shit. I'm outta here, yo.' Lachance jumped down. She found herself pressed back against the wall as Johnny loomed over her.

'You see this?' he said, taking hold of the purple fabric at her shoulder. 'This is why I gotta give a shit. You get yourself killed when out on my orders and I gotta explain to Julius what's happened to his newest pet project.'

'Get the fuck off me,' she said.

'Or what? Shit, you ain't even worth it,' Johnny said, shrugging as he let go. He turned and stalked away from her, heading back into the church.

Lachance wrapped her arms around her chest. 'Asshole,' she muttered.

**x.x.x**

'Hey, kid. Wait up.' Troy crossed the road and ducked into the alley where Lachance had stopped. His eyes widened when he saw the state of her hooded top. 'Holy hell, are you okay?'

'Yeah, it's not mine,' she said, looking down. 'Huh. I guess it does look like I've been gutshot though.'

'Do I even wanna know what happened?' he asked.

'A fuckin' job well done, but you wouldn't know it if you asked Gat. Yo, he's a complete dickwad,' she said, as she started walking again.

'Nothin' I can do about that. But it's better he's on our side than with one of the other gangs. I wouldn't wanna have to face him.'

'He doesn't scare me,' Lachance muttered.

'Well, he should. He scares the shit out of me, kid. Anyway, I wanted to make sure you were alright after yesterday, and last night.'

'Ugh. Can we pretend you didn't see me like that? I don't usually get so fucked up.'

'It's understandable. Being in a firefight, seeing Alex die-'

'Troy, seriously. I appreciate what you're tryin' to do but I don't do the whole, discussing feelings shit. Pretend it didn't happen.' Lachance stopped and rubbed between her eyes. She was tired, hungover, and now the smell of gore on her top was making her want to throw up. 'Listen, I'm just gonna go home and get changed, crash for a few hours. Will Julius be at the church later? I'm gonna ask him about my girls.'

'Yeah, he'll be there. Lachance, I am here if you ever wanna talk-' Troy moved to put his hand on her shoulder but she jerked away.

'What the fuck did I just say? Shit, see you around, man,' she said as she walked away.

**x.x.x**

That evening, clean and rested, Lachance made her way through the church. Enrique waved her over to one of the front pews and pulled her into a hug. He introduced her to two other Spanish guys, Gabriel and Alan, and asked her to join their game of cards.

'Maybe later, man? I gotta go do some shit first,' she replied. She nodded at Alan, his nose set in a splint. Bloodshot brown eyes peered out between the bandages that covered most of his face. 'Yo, sorry about that.' He had been the first guy she had dropped during her canonisation.

Alan shrugged. 'It's cool, my mamá told me it was my own fault for underestimating you. Then she whupped my ass for tryin' to hit a girl.'

Lachance laughed and bumped the fist he offered.

The main office at the rear of the church had once been the chantry chapel. Julius was sat at a large table, reading a newspaper. He looked up when she knocked, and beckoned her in.

'Hey, playa,' he said.

'Hey, boss.'

'We made front page news.' Julius slid the paper over to her as she sat opposite him. He sounded tired.

The headline read: 'Gangland violence rocks local docks.' There were pictures of the guys who had died, and she stared for a long moment at Alex's smiling face.

Lachance cleared her throat. 'I was wantin' to ask you somethin', man.'

'Go ahead, kid,' Julius said as he pulled the newspaper back.

'That night, when you and Troy saved my ass, the girl I was with is a whore. Delisa, she's mine. I run another girl, Polish, called Kaja.'

Julius studied her face. 'You're a pimp?'

'I… yeah, I guess so. But I really fuckin' hate that word, man. I treat 'em well, check on 'em during their shifts, I even provide fuckin' Medicare, yo. But now I'm a Saint, I didn't know if I had to pass 'em on to you.'

'Medicare for hos...' Julius chuckled to himself. 'Ai-ight, playa. There's a brothel in Barrio, in Cecil Park. Run by a madam called Loreana. She's... an old friend. She'll treat yo' girls right, and pass a cut of their money back to you. I'll let her know you'll be droppin' by.'

'Thanks, boss,' Lachance said with a smile. Loreana had a good reputation, and the thought of Delisa and Kaja not having to walk the streets while the VK were snatching up girls was a relief. Lachance pushed away from the table and went out into the hallway to call them. She arranged to meet them both the following day, so she could take them over to the brothel.

Hanging up, Lachance wandered over to a doorway where she could hear R&B music playing. She saw Dex pinning photographs to a board while singing softly. She watched him for a minute.

'Er, hey,' she said.

'Oh, hey. I didn't hear you.' He smiled as she walked into the room.

'It looks like you're runnin' a RICO sting in here, bro,' Lachance said as she pointed to the board. 'I like a guy who's thorough.'

Dex held her eye. 'That so? And how would you know about RICO cases?'

'Meh, I get around,' she said with a shrug. 'Yo, do you wanna role-play?'

'What?' Dex asked with a cough.

Lachance pulled a chair over and sat in front of the board. 'You be teacher, I'll be the student. Tell me about the Carnales.'

'Oh… kay. Right.' His composure returned as he told her about the history of the Lopez family, how the Carnales were the first major gang in Stilwater. They had run the city until Benjamin King founded the Vice Kings, and started a revolt from Sunnyvale Gardens. Nowadays they were led by the brothers Hector and Angelo, and specialised in the trade of guns and drugs.

'Tell you what though, I ain't worried about their history so much as I am the fact that, A: the Lopez brothers are crazy motherfuckas, and B: Victor, their enforcer, survived a dozen VK drive-bys,' Dex said, tapping a photo of a huge, swarthy son of a bitch armed with a shotgun.

'You're good at this. I feel like I'm learning shit without wantin' to stab someone,' she said. 'So, how are you plannin' to move against 'em?'

'Well, if you add in that they're backed by the largest drug cartel in the world, I think I'm gonna play this safe instead of pullin' a Johnny. Cut off their income first, then go after Hector.' Dex had been pacing in front of the board as he spoke. He stopped and looked at Lachance. 'In a coupla days, I could have a job for you, if you're interested?'

Lachance stood. 'I'm interested,' she said with a smile.

'Great. Ah, do you wanna give me your number? So I can get in touch when I've worked out a few more details?' Dex asked, smiling back.

'Sure,' Lachance said.

They exchanged phone numbers before Lachance headed back into the main part of the church, where she played several hands of La Podrida with Enrique, Alan, and Gabriel. At fifty dollars down, she called it a night, and her new Spanish brothers walked her back to her apartment.

**x.x.x**

'Oh fuck. Don't you dare cry,' Lachance warned.

'Sugar, I'm gonna miss you,' Delisa said with a sniff. 'I owe you my life...'

'Come here.' Lachance pulled her roughly into an embrace and kissed her hair. 'You too,' she said to Kaja, as the tall blonde wrapped her arms around them both.

Loreana was watching with a small, amused smile.

They were stood in the lobby of Loreana's brothel; red walls, red carpets, and potted cacti were the prominent features of decoration.

The madam cleared her throat. 'Hey, c'mon. It's not like you'll never see each other again.' She nodded to another girl who was stood behind the main desk. 'Lily, please will you show Delisa and Kaja to their rooms?'

Reluctantly, they followed, and Lachance turned to Loreana. 'Thanks for doing this.'

'It's no problem. They are two beautiful _chicas_. And it makes a nice change to see a pimp who cares for her employees. You wouldn't believe the number of girls I get who are covered in bruises and addicted to meth.'

'Yeah, I would,' Lachance said quietly. She rubbed her nose as Loreana went through the arrangements for her payment, and shook her hand before stepping back out into the city.

A purple and chrome Venom Classic gleamed in the late afternoon sun, and Lachance ran her hand over the curved hood and fenders. It was hers. That morning, she had found an envelope in her mailbox containing a cheque for fifty thousand dollars. Aisha had written a thank you note to go with it, and the first thing Lachance had done was to put down a deposit on the car she had seen in the forecourt of the local Rim Jobs garage. That she had got it in Saint's purple went without saying.

Settling into the black leather driver's seat and turning the key in the ignition, Lachance smiled at the growl from the powerful big-block V8 engine. Her hands tightened on the steering wheel when she thought about how much her mom would have loved this car, and she quickly turned on the radio to The Krunch, twisting the volume up as high as it would go.

Since she was in Barrio, Lachance stopped at a little stall to buy a bag of hot, honey-drizzled churros, then drove back to Mission Beach.

'Wow, hey, nice ride, homie.' Noah and a couple of the other guys gathered round her car when she pulled in next to Troy's Zircon.

'Thanks, yo. Churro?' Lachance chewed on one of the sweet, fried doughnut sticks as she held out the bag for her brothers to help themselves. She smiled when she spotted Troy smoking on the church steps. 'Want one?' she asked him as she got closer.

Troy frowned. 'Nah, I'm alright.'

'Suit yourself, man,' she said with a shrug. 'Hey, did you give Aisha my address?'

'Yeah, hope that wasn't a problem. Hold up, I gotta take this call,' Troy said, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He walked away from her as he spoke.

A massive shadow fell over her, and Lachance looked up at Sue.

'Heard you're giving out food,' he said.

'Fuck you, dude. I won't have any left if you take a handful. You can have one,' she said, offering the bag.

Sue chuckled. 'You got big balls for a little girl,' he said, taking two. Together they walked over to a group of Saints who were sparring among the gravestones.

Lachance had just demonstrated an open-palm carotid artery strike on Kowalski, and was explaining how it worked as she helped pick him up from the floor when Troy took her by the elbow.

'You got a minute?' he asked.

'Sure.' She followed him to a quiet corner of the churchyard, wrinkling her nose at the used condom that laid on the ground next to the stone wall.

'I was just speakin' to Lin. You remember her from the other night?' When Lachance nodded he continued, 'I gave her your number, she's gonna get in touch with you soon about hittin' out at the Rollerz.'

'Cool. Hey, have you seen my new car?' she asked, pointing.

'Huh. Well, see you around, kid,' he said, walking towards the church.

'Yo, man. Are you pissed at me for somethin'?' Lachance grabbed his arm.

'And why would you think that?'

'You're being all… pissy. S'up with you?'

'Thought you didn't discuss feelings and shit?' he said.

'Ugh, don't be a little bitch, Troy. Shit. I was havin' a rough day. All I've had is rough days since I fuckin' joined, so give me a fuckin' break. Today is the first day when I haven't got blood on my threads, and I got a shiny new car, and the one person I wanna share it with has got a bitch-face on. Fuck you.' She bit her lip to stop herself from saying anything else.

Troy sighed and shook his head. 'Jesus. I'm sorry. You're gonna be the death of me, kid. C'mon then, show me your car.' He met her eyes and smiled. After glaring for a moment, she broke and smiled too.


	6. Chapter 6

Her phone buzzed.

_Church. My office. Now. JG._

Lachance sighed and grabbed her jacket. That Johnny knew how to send messages from his phone at all had been a revelation to her. The apartment building door banged shut behind her as she made her way to her car.

It had been three uneventful days since she had dropped Delisa and Kaja at the brothel in Barrio. Delisa had called her the night before, just to catch up. Lachance had been fighting the urge to call Vinnie to score some coke, but hearing the girl's musical voice had taken the edge of the craving.

At the churchyard, Lachance parked next to a sleek, black sedan, and walked through to the office Johnny had claimed. He was sat at his desk, feet on the table, opposite Aisha.

In contrast to Lachance's own combo of purple vest, leather jacket and jeans, Aisha was wearing a boobtube, tiny denim skirt, and a purple baseball cap. Lachance wondered if she was chilly in this draughty old building.

'You remember Aisha, right?' Johnny said as Lachance took the chair next to the singer.

'Sure I do. Hey, thanks for… you know. I really appreciate the gesture,' Lachance said.

Aisha smiled. 'It was for bringin' Tiffany back. I knew you wouldn't get any kinda recognition in here so...'

'Yo, if you two have finished braiding each other's fuckin' hair?' Johnny said. 'Listen, kid. You can drive, right? Eesh asked if you could help out this evening. We're gonna kill her.'

'C'mon, your music isn't _that_ bad,' Lachance said.

Aisha looked her up and down, taking in the studs across the shoulders of her jacket and her black leather biker boots. 'Johnny's being melodramatic, but I take it you're not a fan?'

'Damn right. No offence.'

'Oh, for fuck's sake,' Johnny muttered.

'That's cool, we're all entitled to our own opinions.' Aisha directed that at Johnny. 'See, I'm signed to Kingdom Come Records, the label owned by the Vice Kings. But the real deal is that once you're in, you can't get out. I'm gettin' ripped off left and right, and now I'm gettin' extorted 'cause I said I wanna leave.'

Johnny sat forwards and dropped his feet to the floor. 'Check it out. Eesh has a recording session in an hour. That's when we're gonna make her disappear and give the VK a nice 'fuck you' while we're at it. I want you to drive her to her session, but get the car loaded up with some C-4 at Samson's chop shop on your way. Park at the studio and get the hell outta there before blowin' it up.'

'Hold the fuck up. I seriously hope you don't mean my fuckin' car, 'cause I will shoot you for even suggestin' that shit, motherfucker,' Lachance said.

'No, I mean Aisha's car. But just threaten me again, bitch, and it'll be your ride. And I'll make you watch.'

'Whoa, guys? C'mon.' Aisha spread her hands over the table.

'Eesh, just make sure someone sees you before you get out of the studio,' Johnny said. He pointed at Lachance. 'And you, don't fuck this up.'

Lachance felt Aisha's hand on her arm as she got ready to tell Johnny where he could stick his C-4. As she looked into the other girl's eyes, she sighed. She remembered was doing this for her, not for that piece of shit.

'Johnny, I really appreciate-' Aisha's words were cut off as he interrupted.

'Whatever, I was gonna blow that place up anyway.'

**x.x.x**

'Fuck me. What a fuckin' asshole,' Lachance swore as they walked to Aisha's car, the black Zomkah next to hers. 'I would never let him hurt you,' she whispered to her car.

'Did you just? Never mind.' Aisha got into the back as Lachance sat in the driver's seat.

'Yo, are you two together?' Lachance asked via the rear-view mirror. She turned the car out into the street.

'It's... complicated. We go way back. And he's really not that bad once you get to know him.'

'Right,' Lachance said, rolling her eyes.

Traffic was light, and they arrived at the garage within ten minutes. Samson, the middle-aged mechanic and demolitions expert simply nodded at Lachance as she told him who had sent her, and started to push lumps of off-white plastic explosive into various nooks and crannies around the vehicle.

Lachance wound down her window and leaned out. 'Hey, what if some fucker rear-ends me with all this shit?'

'You should be fine. You can even set this stuff on fire, but it shouldn't explode unless you trigger a detonator.' He held one up to the window, then pressed it into a blob of C-4.

'Oh, cool.'

'Still, I'd rather not test that out,' Aisha said quietly from the back.

'You okay?' Lachance asked.

'I just wanna get this over with. I don't know how you can stay so upbeat.'

'Between you and me, I'm actually pretty excited about gettin' to do this. But don't tell Gat.' Lachance tapped out a rhythm on the steering wheel while waiting for the mechanic to finish.

After about fifteen minutes, he passed Lachance a key fob. 'The detonators are wireless, otherwise your car would look like someone threw up spaghetti on it. When you press this button, you got five seconds before it blows. Good luck.'

'Wait, why did he wish us luck?' Aisha sounded alarmed.

'Relax, yo. He was just bein' nice,' Lachance said, as she reversed out of the garage. 'Now, we gotta work out our plan for when we get to the studio. Gat said you need to be seen before I blow this shit, so I was thinkin' you could walk into the main entrance, say 'hi' or whatever to the receptionist, then get the fuck out of there via a service door. Call me on my cell, and I'll push the button. Then, in all the chaos, I'll boost a car, and you can hide in the trunk. Sound good?'

'I guess… just promise me you won't push it before I call you?'

'Pinky swear, Eesh. Here's my number.'

Aisha programmed her number on speed dial, as Lachance drove across the city. She had just stopped at a pedestrian crossing after the suspension bridge into Union Square when a guy slammed his hands onto the hood of the car. Aisha squealed.

'Aisha, why haven't you returned my calls?' he cried, peering through the window.

'Friend of yours?' Lachance asked.

'Oh God, he's this crazy stalker who's been harassing me for weeks,' Aisha said, putting her hand over her mouth.

'Huh.' Lachance stepped out of the car, punched him in the throat, then got back in and pulled away as the light turned green.

'I can't believe you just did that,' Aisha said.

'What, do you want me to go back and waste him? We got time,' Lachance said over her shoulder.

'No, no, it's okay. It's weird you and Johnny don't get along though, you're… very similar.'

'Hey, you fuckin' take that back. I've got the button, remember.'

Aisha apologised as Lachance pulled up outside of Kingdom Come Records. The two women got out of the car, and headed in their own separate directions.

Walking across the road into the alley opposite, Lachance took out her phone and the detonator fob. She stopped at a point she hoped was far enough away, but so she could still get a decent view of the explosion.

She waited.

'C'mon, c'mon,' she muttered, foot tapping on the floor. Her heart was beating hard. This motherfucker would go some way towards paying back the grenade that killed Alex. She didn't really care if a VK had thrown it or not. The Saints were gonna show they were not to be fucked with.

Her phone vibrated. 'Do it,' came the tight voice on the other end.

'Gotcha,' replied Lachance, and her thumb pressed the small red button on the fob.

The next five seconds lasted a lifetime.

**x.x.x**

Under the cover of darkness, Lachance popped the trunk of the beaten-up Bootlegger and held out her hand.

'We're here,' she shouted.

'What?' Aisha shouted back.

'Will you two keep it down?' Johnny hissed.

'What?' Lachance and Aisha shouted in unison.

'Fuck me, shut up!' Johnny shouted. A dog barked in a garden nearby.

As Aisha unfolded herself from the trunk, Lachance shook her head. Her ears hadn't stopped ringing from the explosion at the studios. Johnny elbowed her out of the way to help Aisha climb out, then threw a coat over the singer's head as he led her into the safehouse. Aisha had left her hat in the studios for the search and rescue teams to find.

Lachance hopped onto the hood of the car, and gazed up at the stars. She pulled a hip flask out of the inner pocket of her jacket to take a large swallow of aged single-malt whisky.

The explosion had been intense, the car going up like the fifth of July in a blazing fireball, bringing the entire building crashing down.

She slipped the flask away as Johnny walked out of the safe house and stopped in front of her. He frowned and reached out a hand to her head.

'The fuck, dude?' Lachance asked as she ducked away.

'Hold the fuck still. You got glass in your hair.'

Lachance sat rigid for as long as she could as Johnny pulled out several small shards and dropped them onto the sidewalk, but knocked his hand away when he started to ruffle the dust out too.

'Yo, this just got weird,' she said and sneezed. 'Hey, is Aisha okay?'

'She will be. I can't believe she pissed on herself though,' he said with a sigh.

'C'mon, give her a break. She was scared. I think she was quite close to the studio when it went up.'

'Not as close as you were, I didn't have to pick shit outta her hair. What the fuck did I say about not tryin' to kill yourself?'

'Ugh, really? Your girl is safe, Kingdom Come is a smokin' pile of shit, and all you can do is bitch 'cause I wanted to watch? Fuck you, man.' Lachance slid from the hood of the car and pulled open the driver's door of the Bootlegger. The rusty hinges creaked.

Johnny slammed it shut. 'Wait, did Eesh say she's my girl?'

Rolling her eyes, Lachance said, 'Kinda. For some reason she doesn't seem to think you're the biggest asshat in the universe. Probably 'cause she's never had to work for you, dude.'

'Huh. Ai-ight, don't wrap that piece of shit around a tree. Later, man,' Johnny said as he headed back towards the safe house.

Confused by his sudden change of mood, Lachance watched him go for a moment, then shrugged and got into the car. The fan belt squealed as she pulled out onto the suburban street, and she drove back to the church in Mission Beach.

**x.x.x**

Lachance had dumped the stolen ride in a dark alleyway. Dex was leaning on the churchyard wall near her car when she walked up.

'Hey, I was hoping you'd be back soon. The bomb at Kingdom Come has been all over the news,' Dex said.

'Cool,' Lachance said, tipping her head upside down to rub dust out of her hair.

'So, how do you feel about blowin' more shit up?'

'Yo, can it wait a night? I got wicked tinnitus, bro.'

He chuckled. 'I like how you don't even ask what or where.'

She flipped her hair back. 'I don't really give a fuck. I've found I like makin' things go 'boom'. It's kinda therapeutic,' she said.

'Right. Anyway, yeah, it can wait a night. But I need you to be discreet, I don't want Carnales or Colombian retaliation for this. I don't think we could handle it yet.'

'So, no yelling _'Third Street says yippee-ki-yay, motherfuckers'_ then?'

'No,' he said with a smile.

'Spoilsport. Okay, what's the target?'

'Targets. I got Troy lookin' into Carnales territory to find where their main drug plant is, but I've found the locations of two small labs nearby, used for cuttin' product. I need you to go in and destroy them both, on the same night, to provide a distraction while Troy locates where the shit is actually bein' produced.'

'Hey, does Troy know you're askin' me to do this?' Lachance asked.

'Yeah, he does. Is it the drugs thing? I know you were high at your canonisation. It's not gonna be a problem for you, goin' into these labs?' Dex said.

'Fuck no, I haven't used since I joined.' She remembered the deal she had made with Troy. 'It's not like I'm some fuckin' junkie.'

Dex held out his hands. 'Wasn't sayin' that you were. If you're cool then I'm cool.'

'Okay, then we're cool,' Lachance said.

They worked out the details, Dex giving her the locations of the labs, one based in a warehouse in The Mills industrial area, the other in a house in Cecil Park. He told her to see Samson again, to get two small explosive devices that could be used to destroy the equipment, but not cause too much structural damage to the buildings.

'So, if that all sounds good... do you wanna go get a drink somewhere?' Dex asked.

Lachance looked into his brown eyes and smiled. 'Sure. Where do you- hold up, just let me get this,' she said, pulling her vibrating phone out of her pocket. It was a number she didn't recognise. 'Hi?'

_'Hey, is this Lachance? It's Lin.'_

'Oh, Lin, hey. Troy said you'd call.'

_'Yeah, well, this is me callin'. I got some time to talk now if you can make it over to the Ultor Dome real quick?'_

'I… yeah, okay. I'll be there soon.' Lachance glanced at Dex and mouthed 'sorry'.

_'Great. Oh, and no fuckin' purple, or you'll get us both shot.'_

There was a beep as Lin cut the connection.

Dex shrugged. 'Maybe another night then? You don't wanna keep that girl waitin'.'

'Thanks, man.' Lachance said.

Running back to the alley where she had left the inconspicuous Bootlegger, Lachance tucked her purple vest into her jeans and zipped her jacket all the way up.

Lachance sped across the city. As the lights from the Dome came into view, she slowed down and looked for somewhere to stash the car. She pulled into a deserted side street and made her way over to the parking lot, huddling into her jacket and putting her head down as two Rollerz sauntered past her.

'Dude, she totally wants you.' She heard one say to the other as they walked away.

In the parking lot, Lin was standing next to a tricked-out blue and white striped Voxel. Lachance wasn't sure she'd recognise her, but Lin nodded as she walked towards her.

'I swear to God, we're not gonna be able to kill these bastards fast enough,' Lin said, and took a drag of her cigarette. She was maybe ten years older than Lachance.

'What, they got some fucker worse than Kowalski?' Lachance asked.

'They're all bigger pains in the ass than him.'

'Jesus.'

'Right? Hey, it's good to finally meet you. There's not enough women in the Saints,' Lin said with a smile.

'Damn right, there's only me and you. What's up with that?'

Lin's smile faded. 'Well, that's mainly 'cause of Johnny. Anyway, we can't just stand around chattin'. Aside from macho bullshit, I haven't heard much that we can use against these guys. The only interesting news I got is that a shipment of high performance cars is coming in first thing tomorrow morning.'

'Yo, what do you need me to do?' Lachance already liked this woman.

'Jack the truck carrying the cars and take it to Samson's chop shop. Do you know where that is?'

'Yeah. I've met him. Earlier today, in fact.'

'Wait, Kingdom Come Records, that was you?' Lin asked in surprise.

'Yeah. Still got some shit in my hair, see?' Lachance said, pointing. 'So, after Samson's, what then?'

'Samson will finish the delivery. I'll let you know our next move after that. Now get outta here, before someone sees us,' Lin said, as she turned and got into her car. As she drove away, Lachance rubbed at her hair again, and sneezed.


	7. Chapter 7

It was early morning. So early, Lachance had only ever been up at this time when she was coming at it from the other side, staggering home after an all-night party. The sun broke over the water, a ball of shimmering orange, and she clapped a hand over her eyes.

'Ugh.'

They never made her get up this early in juvie.

Lachance sat up when she heard the motorised gates to the docks open and a truck pull out. This one was loaded up with barrels.

She was sat beneath a nearby underpass, a Shard motorcycle propped next to her, waiting.

Her original idea had been to break into the docks and steal the truck direct from there, but the slavering Doberman that had growled at her through the chain-link fence made her think again. She fucking hated dogs.

She sat back and wondered if any of her fellow Saints would also be up at this ungodly hour. Maybe she should call Troy, and yell down the phone how it was a bright new day. She smiled at the thought of the guy: sleepy, hair mussed, cursing as he reached for his phone, bedsheets slipping down to reveal his tight, lean body-

The gates opened again, and Lachance jumped up. Her heart started to beat quicker as she spotted a semi truck carrying the cars matching the description Lin had given her via text message last night. Now for the part of her plan she really wasn't looking forward to. She jumped on the bike and pushed the starter button, then pulled out carefully behind the truck. Samson's chop shop was just across the block, so the sooner she could get this done, the better.

As the road to straightened out, Lachance felt the wind whip at her hair as she veered over to the right-hand side of the Peterliner. She cranked the throttle, making the engine howl, and brought herself in-line with the passenger door of the cab.

'Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,' she swore under her breath as she tensed the muscles in her legs. Before she could think too much about what she was about to do, she flung herself from the motorcycle. The truck swerved violently as she slammed into the passenger door, and she had to cling to the handle as her feet found the metal step below. She wrenched open the door and threw herself into the cab, pulling out her gun and pointing it at the startled driver.

'Holy shit,' he yelled, and stepped on the brakes.

'Keep driving, motherfucker,' Lachance snarled. 'Just follow my directions.'

'Okay, okay. Holy shit. Where the hell did you come from?'

'Your worst fuckin' nightmares if you don't shut the fuck up. Turn left down the next street.'

Her heart slowly returned to it's normal rate as she guided him to Samson's garage. She tried to keep the elation that her plan had worked from her face.

Samson came out to greet her as the truck pulled into his yard, but he frowned as Lachance ordered the driver out.

'Hey, kid. You're gonna have to get rid of that guy,' he said.

'What? Wait, no, please. I have a family-' pleaded the driver.

Lachance shrugged and pulled the trigger. Samson winced at the loud crack of her revolver.

'Done,' she said. 'Now, Dex said you could hook me up with a couple of small charges? I need to blow up some more shit.'

'Dang girl. Remind me never to piss you off. Come with me.'

Samson headed back into his workshop, and shouted at a young guy leaning against a wall to go and clean up the mess outside.

**x.x.x**

The cheque from Aisha hadn't bounced, so after leaving Samson's, her day had been spent shopping. There had been a lovely moment in Rim Jobs when she paid off her car in full.

She tucked a new nine-millimetre pistol into the back of her jeans and looked at herself in the mirror. Dark grey hoodie, black jeans, and grey sneakers. Dex had told her to be discreet. She pushed a black bandana, her cellphone, switchblade, and a silencer for the pistol into various different pockets. That she couldn't get a silencer for her .44 Shepherd was a crime. It was getting dark outside. She picked up a runner's backpack, feeling the weight of the explosive charges within as she slung it over one shoulder. She blew out a sharp breath before turning and leaving her apartment. This shit would be so much easier if she could just have one little line of coke, but she was a woman of her word. She would not betray Troy's trust for anything.

An unremarkable little silver Halberd sat in the street opposite. She had boosted the ride earlier, so now she placed the backpack onto the passenger seat and headed to The Mills.

Lachance pulled up with the warehouse in sight and switched off the engine. The corrugated metal building stood alone on a plot of patchy grass. A siren wailed in the distance but soon faded away. As she watched, she could only see one Carnales member standing guard by a side-door. She tied the bandana around her face, covering her mouth and nose, and pulled her hood up. She screwed the silencer onto her pistol, and shrugged the backpack over her shoulders.

Opening the car door as quietly as she could, Lachance stepped out and hurried over to a fence. In a last minute decision, she put the pistol into the large front pocket of her hoodie and pulled out her switchblade. There was a small '_fwip'_ as it flicked open. She kept the blade sharp enough to cut silk.

The tall hispanic guy in red looked bored. He paced back and forth by the door, clearly not expecting anyone to be bold or foolish enough to attack the Carnales. The next time he turned to walk away from her, she ran up behind him and reached her hand over his mouth, then dragged the blade deeply across his throat. He made a wet, surprised noise as his knees buckled. She wiped the blade on his shirt before putting it away and pulling out the silenced pistol.

Lachance eased the door handle down and pushed it open slowly, pistol held up. She was listening intently, controlling her breathing, but she couldn't hear any movements from the other side of the door.

The room beyond was dark. Lachance swept the pistol ahead of her, finger resting on the trigger, alert to the smallest movement or sound. She crept forwards, footsteps soft, as her eyes adjusted to the darkness lit by a small amount of streetlight coming from the open door behind her. She could make out the shapes of large glass bottles and beakers, and against one wall a glint of metal indicated the presence of a boiler.

After making her way over to it, she slid the pack from her back and took out one of the disc-shaped explosive charges. This was the most dangerous part, as she needed to use two hands to fix and set the device. Lachance had argued with Samson, asking him for another remote detonator, but he had simply replied that this type of bomb wasn't designed that way. Gun within easy reach on a nearby counter, Lachance pressed two buttons on either side of the device and placed the charge against the metal boiler. She twisted her hands, and a light flashed twice red then once green. It was fixed in place, and she now had ten minutes before the bomb went off.

She picked up her pistol, and ran out of the door. Several shouts in Spanish made her whirl, and she swore when she saw two guys in red pointing in her direction from the front of the warehouse. There was no cover in the middle of the grass plot, so she threw herself onto her stomach and shot at the Carnales. One guy fell immediately, but the other took cover behind his car and returned fire.

Bullets tore up the earth in front of her and to her left. The wannabe-gangsta fuck was holding his pistol sideways, and it was throwing his accuracy way off. As his head peeked above the hood of the car, Lachance blew it off.

'Thanks mom,' she whispered. With a sigh, Lachance stood and jogged back to the Halberd.

The gunfire had not drawn the sound of any sirens yet, but she had to move. There was still another lab to destroy. It was just a shame she couldn't risk hanging around to watch this one go up in about five minutes' time.

She drove into Barrio towards Cecil Park, and went straight past the house that was being used by the Carnales after pulling the bandana down off her face. There were four guys and one girl in red sat on the steps of the house, all carrying guns. At the end of the street, she turned into an alley and killed the engine.

Lachance bit her lip as she got out of the little car. She walked down the alley, which was really just a thin avenue between the back gardens of two streets. She swore when she saw another large group of Carnales standing around the back of the house. Loud hip hop music was coming from inside the building.

Ignoring their stares and whistles, Lachance walked past her unsuspecting rival gang members and continued on towards Loreana's brothel. Once inside, she asked the pretty girl on the front desk if Kaja was available. Lachance thought that she would hide out here for a few hours, before checking the house again to see if the operation wound down overnight.

A wide smile spread across Kaja's face as she descended the twisting staircase, and she wrapped her arms around Lachance.

'Is good to see you, but you should have called first. I would have worn something much nicer for you, darling,' Kaja said, smoothing a hand over the cream lace of her camisole.

'Compared to what I'm wearing?' Lachance said, indicating her dark ensemble.

'_Tahk,_ yes, that is not flattering. Come, I will show you my new room.' Kaja grabbed her hand and led her upstairs. The red corridor pulsed with the muted sounds of passion and sex, hard moans and soft laughs, and Lachance's hand tightened on the tall blonde's. Kaja threw her a wicked look over her shoulder as she pulled her over to a door on the right.

**x.x.x**

Her hand rested on the tanned curve of Kaja's hip.

'You have to go?' Kaja pouted and Lachance kissed her pursed lips.

'Yeah I do, babe. I already stayed longer than I meant to. And Loreana would shit if she knew I brought a bomb and a gun in here.'

'I think it is sexy. You are dangerous.'

'That's why you're my kinda crazy,' Lachance said with a laugh. She kissed her again, biting her bottom lip, before rolling off the bed. 'The fuck are my panties, girl?'

After diving under the silk bedsheets to retrieve her underwear from the giggling whore, Lachance got dressed and picked up the backpack.

'Try not to die,' Kaja said as Lachance reached the door.

'Yo, I'll try. Give Delisa my love.'

Outside, she stifled a yawn. She needed to get this done now, before tiredness got her shot. And Johnny would just fucking love that. Lachance wondered again what Lin had meant when she said he was the reason there were no other female Saints. He didn't seem to hate women in particular, just people in general, and she had seen the way he looked at Aisha.

Fuck it, Lachance was now a Saint until her heart stopped beating, and he could stick his issues up his perfect ass.

She blinked. 'Perfect'? Damn.

The front of the house was now devoid of Carnales, but there was still light at the windows. She hitched the bandana back over her face, breathing in Kaja's heady perfume. Gun in one hand, switchblade in the other, Lachance chose to interpret Dex's insistence on discretion as simply meaning no come-back on the Saints. If a masked assailant burst into the house, one who was not wearing gang colours, and killed every motherfucker inside, then _technically_, she was still being discreet. Kinda. Fuck it.

The door banged against the wall as she kicked it open, and the silenced pistol made three small pops as she shot a guy sprawled on a couch and the girl in red sucking his dick. Two more pops took out the guy who ran through an open doorway, and Lachance pressed against the wall. Beyond the doorway was a kitchen and a staircase leading up. She could hear Latin hip hop coming from a room above.

Lachance stepped over the dead Carnales member and swept the small kitchen and attached bathroom, finding them empty, and moved to the foot of the stairs. She took a breath before running up, and ducked into the room opposite the one she could hear music from.

A flash of movement made her raise an arm, and she grunted in pain as a large hunting knife cut through the material of her hooded top and bit into her flesh. She dropped her switchblade, but pulled the trigger of her pistol as the barrel pressed against her attacker's chest. The dark-haired girl who had wielded the knife jerked backwards and fell, spatters of her blood landing on Lachance's face.

'Fuck,' Lachance hissed, as she held her arm against her side. Blood was running freely down to her hand. Not pausing, she kicked open the door of the remaining room, and shot two guys wearing dust masks. This was the lab, and she quickly walked to a large metal boiler. She fumbled with the zip of the backpack, smearing blood on the fabric, and took out the explosive charge. Fixing it to the boiler was a struggle, the fingers on her injured arm not holding the button down long enough, but after what felt like an eternity it flashed twice red then once green.

As she was getting ready to leave, Lachance spotted a stack of large plastic bags, filled with white powder. She pushed three into the backpack, and hurried back down the stairs and outside. It would be a waste to destroy what was likely pure Colombian cocaine, especially when Vinnie had been doing nothing but bitch about a lack of supply. Lachance smiled. It would be nice for that fucker to pay her for a change. She pushed away the thought of trying a bit, just to see if it was pure.

Blood dripped from her arm as she headed back to where she had left the stolen car. It was gone.

'Thieving motherfuckers.'

Lachance pulled out her cell and carried on walking. Dex answered on the second ring. She smiled at the idea of him waiting by the phone for her to call.

_'Yo, it done?'_ he asked

'In five minutes it will be. Hey, do we have a doctor who don't ask questions?'

_'Shit, you okay? Where are you?'_

'I just need a few stitches, bro.' Lachance stumbled down a kerb. 'I'm near... Sloppy Seconds, in Southern Cross.'

_'Stay there, I'll come get you.'_

**x.x.x**

'Shit.' Dex looked ashen.

'Dude, you freaked out by blood? 'Cause that's funny as fuck.'

'Shut up,' he muttered, and stared out of the window. They were in Dr Gupta's back-room clinic, based on the seventh floor of an apartment block in Sommerset. Lachance sat with her arm out on a gurney, the good doctor sewing up the deep cut on her left forearm. Dr Gupta was middle-aged, short and slightly built. He had quick, dark, intelligent eyes, and small gentle hands. He had thrown a white coat over his pyjamas, his fluffy blue slippers peeking out from underneath.

Once the neat row of stitches were complete, he gave her a shot of antibiotics, and Dex paid the bill in cash.

'Yo, when we get to mine, I'll pay you back,' Lachance said, as they made their way down the fire escape and back to Dex's car.

'It's cool. You did a good job tonight. Nothing on the news about Saints involvement in the blasts.'

Lachance sighed and put her uninjured arm around his shoulders. 'Can we make a deal where I only work for you? Gat would have left my ass bleedin' in the street.'

Dex chuckled. 'When you know him better, you'd know that he'd die for any Saint. But… I wouldn't mind keepin' you to myself,' he said, sliding an arm around her waist as they stopped next to his car.

'Oh yeah?' she asked softly, turning to face him.

'Yeah.' His other hand brushed lightly along the fading bruise on her cheekbone. 'You're beautiful.'

Lachance jerked back. She'd remembered how Troy had said the same words to her the night he'd helped her home. Her stomach felt weird.

'Shit, did that hurt?' Dex asked with concern, snatching his hand away.

'No, it's cool. It's just been a long day, I'm sorry, man.' She rubbed her eyes.

'It's okay, I get it. I shouldn't have said-'

'Hey, I like you. Ai-ight? I just really need some sleep, yo.' Lachance squeezed his arm then walked around to the passenger side of his Raycaster convertible. They drove back in silence.

Dex pulled up outside her apartment block and Lachance got out, hooking the heavy backpack over one shoulder.

'What's in there?' Dex asked, frowning.

Lachance laughed. 'A fuckload of dope, man. What else?'

'Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Keep yo' secrets. Goodnight, Lachance.'

'See you around, bro.' Lachance smiled as he drove away.


	8. Chapter 8

'You cheatin' bitch,' Lachance said. She threw down her cards.

Enrique looked at her with affection and pity. '_Hermana_, you really suck at this. You should give up.'

'Yo, don't tell her that, I'm gonna buy a new set of rims with all her money,' Alan said as he scooped up the pile of crumpled notes. The bandages had been removed from his broken nose, but two large purple bruises still sat like fat slugs under his eyes.

A group of Saints hurried from the back of the church to the door, checking their weapons. Johnny was following them.

'Huh, wonder where they're goin',' Lachance said. 'Yo, Sue, where y'all headed?'

The big bald man paused by the door. 'Gonna go kill us some VK motherfuckers over at Raykins Hotel,' he said with a grin. He held a sawn-off shotgun in one hand as if it was a pistol.

Lachance felt her stomach clench. The Raykins Hotel was a brothel in Prawn Court, run by an infamous woman named Tanya Winters. Tanya gave ghetto pimps a bad name. A lieutenant for the Vice Kings, she ran her girls hard and cruel. She was everything Lachance had tried not to be for Delisa and Kaja.

'Hey, Gat. I wanna go too,' Lachance said. She stood up and started to thread her way between the pews.

'Sorry, kid. Your ass is on the bench for this one. But your enthusiasm has been duly noted,' Johnny said.

'C'mon, man. Why?'

'This may have escaped your notice, but you ain't the only foot soldier here. I'm lettin' these guys have some fun today.'

He turned to walk away, but Lachance grabbed his arm. 'Listen, you need to let me go, keep an eye on those guys. The girls that work there-'

'Who the fuck do you think you are tellin' me what to do? The day I take orders from you - you little shit - is the day I dance the naked cha-cha for Julius,' Johnny said, shaking off her hand. He pushed her roughly onto a pew. 'Sit down before you hurt yourself. The fuck does it matter if a few hos get wasted?'

'You fuckin' rat bastard,' she snarled up at him.

'What? Yo' skanky-ass momma work there or somethin'?'

The black rage that ripped through Lachance made her head swim. She was aware of a commotion in the church, the sound of wood scraping against stone as seats were pushed back, shouts echoing around the hall. Blood rushed in her ears as she focused down the barrel of her revolver at Johnny's smirking face. She didn't even remember standing and drawing it.

'Hey, kid. Put the gun down,' Troy shouted. He ran over to the pair. 'What the hell did you say to her?' he asked Johnny.

'Nothin', man,' Johnny said nonchalantly. 'The bitch must be PMSing or some shit.' The smirk never left his face.

'Motherfucker.' Lachance tightened her finger on the trigger.

There was a click next to her ear. 'Put the fuckin' gun down, Lachance. Please don't make me shoot you,' Troy said.

A tense second ticked by, and another. Lachance gave a frustrated hiss and dropped her arm. She realised Johnny hadn't even made a move for the pistol he kept tucked into the back of his pants.

'See, man? This is why we shouldn't let chicks into the Saints. Emotional little fuckers, ain't they?' Johnny said to Troy.

'Oh, fuck me,' Lachance said with a groan. She had played right into his hands.

Troy lowered the pistol he had aimed at her head. 'So, is one of you gonna tell me what the fuck just happened?'

Lachance glowered at the floor.

Johnny gave a small laugh. 'Bitch can't take a joke,' he said.

'Ah, so it was somethin' you said.' Troy rubbed at his eyes. 'You know I'm gonna have to bring this in front of Julius. We can't afford to have you two tryin' to kill each other while we're at war with three other fuckin' gangs.'

'Yo, that's fine by me,' Johnny said. He leered at Lachance. 'Pullin' a gun on your fellow Saint? That shit'll get your ass bounced so fuckin' quick-'

'Just shut the fuck up, Johnny,' Troy said. 'C'mon, both of you. Julius' office. Move.'

**x.x.x**

'I'm very disappointed in you.'

That was somehow way worse than if Julius had just yelled at her to get the fuck out. Lachance stared at her boots.

'And you, Johnny, the fuck you doin', pullin' this shit again?' Julius turned his attention to the tall guy at her side.

'Hey, fuck that. It's not my fault she-'

Troy interrupted. 'I still wanna know what you said.'

'Nothin'. I might have mentioned her mom, maybe...' Johnny said with a shrug.

'Her mom's dead, you asshole,' Troy snapped.

'And how was I supposed to know that? She barely talks to me.'

'The fuck?' Lachance said in surprise. She looked directly into Johnny's reflective sunglasses. 'That's bullshit, man. You're the one who treats me like a piece of shit.'

'Just 'cause I ain't been kissin' your ass like everyone else? You gotta prove yourself before I give you a break, kid,' he said. 'The stuff you done so far? So what. You've done what was expected of you, nothin' more. So forgive me if I ain't puckerin' up just yet. Get over yourself.'

'Now you know that ain't true,' Julius said. 'Our girl here has helped us take Harrowgate, rescued Aisha's sister, levelled Kingdom Come, jacked a delivery meant for the Rollerz, and she blew up two Carnales drug labs.'

'And she saved my life,' Troy added. Lachance looked over her shoulder to meet his eyes. He gave her a small smile.

'All this, and she's not even been a banger two weeks? Even you gotta admit that's impressive,' Julius said.

Lachance flushed at the pride she heard in Julius' deep voice.

'Whatever. We just gonna ignore the fact that she pulled a fuckin' gun on me in church? I can't trust her at my back,' Johnny said.

'So you want her out?'

'Yeah, man. Saints ain't no place for a girl.'

Julius sighed. 'And we're back to this. She ain't the same as Sophie, son.'

'No? Look at her. Five foot nothin', a hundred pounds, kinda pretty… how do we know the same damn shit ain't gonna happen to her?' Johnny shouted.

'Three,' Lachance said quietly.

'The fuck?' Johnny asked.

'I'm five foot three. Who's Sophie?'

'Yo, you wanna know? She was a girl, 'bout your age, thought she could handle bein' a gangsta. That was, 'til some real nasty motherfuckers caught a hold of her.'

'Johnny, man. C'mon,' Troy said.

'What? She asked. Anyway, these guys didn't play nice. They beat her, raped her, and left her for dead on the street, all for wearin' purple. I found her. Sophie begged me to put a bullet in her brain, and so I did. I had to. She thanked me just before I pulled the fuckin' trigger.' Johnny's mouth was a tight, hard line.

Lachance gazed at him steadily. 'So, the reason you've been such an asshole is 'cause you're worried about the same thing happening to me? Dude, that's almost sweet.'

'Did you hear a fuckin' word I just said?'

'So,' she said slowly, 'you think that if I wasn't part of a gang, I'd be any more safe in this city? That shit happens whether a girl is wearin' colours or not. Stilwater is fuckin' rotten, man. I've made a choice to live the way I do, with a gun under my pillow and a knife in my boot, and no fucker is gonna take me easy.'

Johnny shook his head. 'You don't understand-'

'Fuck you! I understand, okay?' she shouted.

'Hey, calm the fuck down,' Troy said.

Lachance ignored him and squared up to Johnny. 'I'm so sick of your bullshit, man. Maybe I know what it's like to be beaten, raped, and abused, huh? But I ain't a fuckin' pussy. I won't live in fear in case it happens again, I can handle myself. And if bein' a Saint means I can help clean up this fuckin' town, then it's gonna take a lot more than you bein' a prick to make me leave.'

'Shit, man. I had no idea.'

There were several moments of silence before Julius spoke. 'Playa, I ain't gonna ask about what happened to you. That's yo' business. And I think most of us have wanted to pull a gun on Johnny at some point-'

'Hey...'

'Shut up.' Julius turned back to Lachance. 'I just need your word that it ain't gonna happen again. You gotta have yo' brothers' backs. No matter what.'

Lachance threw up her hands. 'I wasn't gonna shoot him. Well, I wasn't gonna kill him.' She turned. 'You're Johnny fuckin' Gat, man. Do you know how hard I've tried to impress you since I joined? It's lame as shit, bro.'

'Well, I'm real fuckin' reassured,' Johnny muttered.

'C'mon, man. You knew it too, or you'd have grabbed your pistol and put me down. Ha, somehow we like each other more than we think,' Lachance said with a smile.

'You are somethin' else, girl,' he said. The corner of his mouth curled up. 'Ai-ight. I'm sorry for what I said about your mom. Sometimes, maybe, I go too far. We cool?'

'I guess. Maybe we should just start over?'

Johnny held out his hand and pulled her to him. Lachance found herself disappearing within his huge arms and chest. He squeezed her just a little tighter than was comfortable.

'Welcome to the Third Street Saints, you little shit.'

**x.x.x**

Troy had been very quiet as he, Lachance and Johnny left Julius' office. He took her by the arm and asked her to join him outside in the churchyard. They stood under the shade of a large stone angel, who seemed to be beseeching the heavens with its featureless, upturned face and outstretched arms.

'Yo, you gonna be weird?' Lachance asked. She accepted the cigarette Troy offered.

'Do you wanna tell me about it?'

'Hell no.'

Troy rubbed the back of his neck. 'Yeah, I thought not. I guess it explains a lot though.'

'The fuck do you mean by that?'

'Take it easy. I mean… well, there's a side to you that scares me, kid. I spoke to Lin earlier, she told me how you just wasted that truck driver in Samson's yard yesterday morning.'

'Samson told me to get rid of him,' Lachance said as she folded her arms.

'Yeah, 'cause you took him to the garage. You coulda let that guy out at the side of the road.'

'And how was I supposed to drive the fuckin' thing? It had like, ten gears, man.'

Troy's face hardened. 'You ain't as dumb as you make out, I'm sure you coulda worked it out. Anyway, it ain't just that. I remember the look in your eyes that first day against those VK. There's a coldness in you, kid.'

'How can you even have a go at me about this shit? You kill motherfuckers too.'

'And I regret nearly every single one,' Troy said. 'But, I wanted to say I also see the good in you. I could see it hurt you at the docks when Alex and the others died, and the way you threw yourself over me to save my life… I wanna see more of that part of you, Lachance.'

'What? You want me to throw myself on you more often? I'm down with that,' Lachance said, taking a step closer to him.

'You always do that. Just be serious with me for once.'

'Serious? Okay... were you really gonna shoot me?' Lachance looked up at him.

Troy didn't answer for what felt like a long time. A car drove past the churchyard, loud drum and bass rattling its windows. Finally, he shrugged, not meeting her eyes. 'It would have been the expected thing to do.'

'But were you gonna?'

They were stood only a foot apart, she could smell the clean, citrus fragrance of his cologne mixed with tobacco as she watched his face.

'I-' Troy was interrupted as Johnny came striding out of the church with Enrique following close behind.

'Yo man, change of plans. You're up. Our guys are pinned down at the whorehouse, I need you and Alan here-'

'That's Enrique,' she said as the long-haired guy scowled at Johnny.

'Whatever. You're the reinforcements. I can't send any more of you 'cause the cops are crawlin' all over our asses. Dunno if it's quota time or what. Oh, and if you bag Tanya, I'll give you a gold star. So go on, fuckin' move it,' Johnny said, waving his hand towards her car.

As they jogged towards her ride, Lachance caught Enrique's eye. 'Yo, I hear he's not that bad once you get to know him.'

Enrique muttered something dark that she didn't quite catch, but the tone still made her laugh.

**x.x.x**

'Dude, I'm starving. Can we get somethin' to eat after this?'

Lachance and Enrique followed the sharp cracks and staccato pops of gunfire towards the brothel. Lachance had parked her car way out of the line of fire. Enrique had argued that they should park closer in case they needed to make a quick getaway, but Lachance had stared him down. They made their way through an alley as the sounds got louder.

'All you do is eat, homie.'

'Fuck off, I'm a growin' girl.'

Lachance chose to ignore his snort of amusement. She paused at the end of the alley and looked out at the scene beyond.

A Saint was taking pot shots from just inside the door at the two yellow Vice King cars that had pulled up outside of the hotel.

Lachance touched a finger to her lips. She pointed to Enrique's chest then indicated the car on the right, where two VK were crouched. She then pointed at herself and showed him she would take the three hiding behind the car on their left. Enrique nodded. Weapons already in hand, each moved to their respective side of the alleyway.

Lachance took aim. 'Now.'

The VK had been so preoccupied with the Saint in the doorway, it was easy work for Lachance and Enrique to dispatch them with carefully placed headshots.

The pair ran to the door of the Raykins hotel. The Saint that greeted them was a brown-haired guy in his early twenties called Chris, who Lachance owed about ten cigarettes.

'There's more of the bastards further in, but we gotta get Josh outta here,' Chris said. He waved at the guy sat on the floor with his back against the front desk, bleeding from a bullet wound in his stomach.

Lachance bit her lip. 'Okay. Enrique, go with Chris and clear the way for the rest of our guys. While there's no-one outside I'll get Josh into one of the cars, get some pressure on that hole. I can cover you from there if any more cocksuckers turn up.'

Enrique's dark brown eyes met hers before he gave her a quick nod. He and Chris jogged away down a corridor.

Lachance grabbed Josh and helped him up. She slung his arm over her shoulders and together they made their way outside. His skin felt clammy and cold.

Josh groaned as she laid him out over the backseat of a purple Hammerhead. Dark blood seeped between his fingers. Lachance pulled off her jacket to remove her t-shirt, and balled it up before placing it under his hands. She climbed onto the seat and knelt between his legs to press her own hands on top of his. He screamed.

'C'mon bro, hang in there,' she said. Josh's eyes had rolled back in his head.

Time ticked slowly by as she waited for the other Saints to emerge.

The throaty burble of an approaching car engine made her heart sink. She ducked her head as the yellow vehicle stopped outside of the hotel. Josh's breathing was shallow against her ear. He whimpered.

'Shh,' she whispered as she peered out.

The VK's got out carefully, eyes flicking to their dead comrades. There were three of them, one armed with a submachine gun, the other two with pistols.

Lachance slipped out of the car and moved around to crouch behind the hood, reloading her revolver with a handful of bullets she had taken from the pocket of her jacket. She froze when Josh let out a low groan and the VK's turned their attention in her direction.

With no chance to flank the three now, Lachance released her breath and swept her gun up, pulling the trigger as the sights moved over the chest of one of the men. She dropped down as a flurry of bullets hit the car.

There was a flash of purple in the hotel doorway and suddenly her homies were firing on the two remaining Vice Kings, filling them both with lead.

Sue, Enrique, Chris, and three other guys ran from the hotel to the car. Lachance had moved back to check on Josh. He was still alive. She could kill him for groaning another day.

'Yo, you okay? Whoa.' Enrique looked away as she shrugged her jacket over her bra.

'What? You don't think this is a classy style statement? Bet they're wearing it all over up on Nob Hill,' Lachance said with a wink. 'Chris, Sue, get Josh over to the doc as quick as you can. I think the pussy's gone into shock. Me, Enrique and the others will head back to church, let Johnny know how you guys kicked ass.'

'Sure thing,' Chris said with a nod. Sue ruffled her hair before getting into the driver's seat of the Hammerhead.

Lachance zipped up her jacket as they walked back to her car, to save Enrique's blushes. 'Hey, did you guys kill Tanya Winters in there?'

'No sign of her. It would have been good to take out that _puta_.'

'Huh. Shit, well, there'll be other chances I guess.' She bumped his elbow. 'We got time to pick up some ramen on the way back?'


	9. Chapter 9

The noodle whipped up and slapped her nose, splashing soy sauce onto her cheek. Lachance wiped it away and looked back at Enrique. She rolled her eyes when she saw that he had bought a box of fries.

'Pussy,' she said. They stepped out of the noodle bar and headed back to where she had parked the car.

'Fuck you.' He ducked as she waved a gelatinous piece of octopus at him with her chopsticks. 'Aw hell no, get the fuck away with that alien shit.'

She laughed. 'Dude, stop makin' it so funny and I'll stop doin' it. Look, it's Saint's purple and everythin'.' She popped the offending seafood into her mouth and chewed happily.

'I'm gonna be sick.'

Lachance stopped short when she saw the cop. Enrique swore under his breath.

The officer was leaning casually against her car. A man in his early forties, dressed in the standard Stilwater P.D. uniform of light blue shirt and dark blue pants, and a visored cap. She couldn't see his eyes behind the mirrored aviators on his face, but the way he was twirling the nightstick in his hand told her all she needed to know. This wasn't going to end well.

'Well, what do we have here? Some piece of shit gang banger and his nasty little slut,' the cop drawled. 'You're coming downtown with me.'

'Bullshit, you can't just drag us in like that. What have we done?' Enrique asked angrily.

The cop pushed away from the side of the car and walked slowly around to the rear of the vehicle. He stopped and swung the nightstick hard. The tail light exploded in a shower of red glass. 'Traffic violation, motherfucker.'

Lachance watched in stunned silence. Her baby.

The box of noodles fell from her hand and spilled out on the sidewalk as she pulled out her switchblade and strode forwards, her heart racing. The cop didn't even manage to raise his arm before she drove the blade into the side of his neck and twisted. His blood sprayed out in a red arc when she pulled her arm back. He clutched at the gaping wound, his mouth forming soundless words. She pushed him away, so his blood wouldn't land on the chrome of her car, and opened the driver's door.

'Get in,' she said through her teeth. Enrique was staring at the dying cop. 'Now.'

She could feel his eyes on her as they raced back to the Row. '_Hermana_, you just killed a cop.'

'I know,' she said, wiping her hand again against her jeans. She sighed. 'He gave me no choice, man. He was gonna run us in. Pretty guy like you would get his ass ruined in jail.'

'What the fuck? How can you act like this ain't no thing?'

''Cause it ain't. I fuckin' hate cops. Gimme a reason to waste 'em, and I'm gonna waste 'em.' She glanced to the side and met his eyes before looking back at the road. 'Yo, we cool?'

Enrique blew out a long breath and leaned his head back. 'We'll always be cool, girl. I owe you my life. But… shit. Maybe warn me next time before you pull some Gat shit.'

Lachance shifted her hands on the steering wheel. The pig bastard deserved it. They were all the same - a bunch of dirty, corrupt motherfuckers. She let Enrique out at the church. He leaned in through her window to kiss her forehead before she drove back to her apartment. She needed some time alone, to think.

Once home, she twisted the cap from a bottle of beer and sat down on the couch. She swung her feet up onto the coffee table and rolled her head back. There was a screaming argument going on in the apartment above; she heard the crash of breaking glass followed by heavy footsteps and a door being slammed shut. Maybe she should move out. She had enough money from Aisha for a deposit on somewhere new. Somewhere with less shitty neighbours.

The vibrations from her phone made her sit up and open her eyes again. Lin was calling.

'Hey.'

_'Hey, you got any plans tonight?'_

More banging from upstairs. 'Nope.'

_'Good. Meet me in Phantasma, at ten pm. And remember, no-'_

'...fuckin' purple. I know.' Lachance finished. 'See you there.'

**x.x.x**

The pounding bass line wrapped around her chest in the strobe-lit darkness. Lachance made her way through the crowded dance-floor, pushing away the countless sweaty hands that grabbed at her ass. She found Lin at the bar, and smiled as the older girl turned.

Lin's ebony hair was twisted up and held in place with two gold chopsticks, and she wore a tight black top and Rollerz blue pants slung low on her toned hips. Two gold bangles sat high on her left arm. She looked Lachance up and down and nodded. Lachance had opted for a short black dress that left one shoulder bare, and taupe coloured stilettos. It felt strange to be going out as a normal young woman, despite the tiny snub-nosed pistol concealed in her black leather clutch bag. She missed her boots, and the reassuring weight of her revolver.

The Phantasma nightclub was decorated in a monochrome palette of black and white, with neon coloured chairs and chandeliers. It was a popular hangout for the local rich kids.

Lin leaned over to the barman and shouted something in his ear while she held up two fingers. He poured out two large measures of a dark red liquid and squeezed a quarter of lime into each. Lachance took a sip as Lin guided her by the elbow to the dance-floor. The music was loud, so Lin had to press her lips against Lachance's ear as she spoke. Her breath tickled and gave her goosebumps.

'You did good yesterday. But I'm not through with you yet,' said Lin. She took a drink, and put her other hand on Lachance's waist. 'Those cars you stole have been rigged to blow once the engine reaches a high enough temperature. I need you to make sure they get nice and hot.'

Lachance pulled her close, and felt her hips move against her own in time to the beat. 'How?'

'There's a race goin' down tomorrow night. I worked on Troy's car before I left, made it sing. You can drive stick, right?'

'Yeah.'

'Good. That car will give them some tough competition. I know these guys, if you're in the lead for the final stretch, they're gonna hit the NOS to blow past you. When they do… boom.' Lin chuckled, which sent another thrill of goosebumps down Lachance's arm.

'Yo, why haven't you just asked Troy to race? It's his car.'

'Have you seen him drive?'

Lachance laughed. 'Yeah, I get it. Okay, I'm down for a little street-racing. Should be fun.'

They danced and and had several more drinks. Lin shook her head in disbelief then laughed for ages after Lachance told her how she had pulled a gun on Johnny earlier that day. The beautiful Asian girl kissed her on the cheek before she said she had to leave. Lachance told her she was going to stay a while longer.

A pair of tanned hands snaked their way around her waist, and she turned. She'd recognised the scars across his knuckles.

'Hey Vin,' she said with a smile.

'Long time, no see,' he replied. He looked around the club. 'Why did you wanna meet in a grief hole like this?'

She shrugged. 'I was already here with someone else. Do you wanna bounce?'

'Hell yeah I do. Never seen you in a dress like this before.' His hands slid down to her ass. 'I like it.'

'C'mon then. I got somethin' to show you at my apartment anyway,' she said, taking a step back and she pulled him by one hand towards the exit.

The night was mild when they got outside. Lachance had parked a couple of blocks away so that the purple of her car wouldn't get spotted by any Rollerz in the club. She was cursing the high heels of her shoes by the time she stopped outside of it to fish the keys out of her bag. Vinnie pushed her against the door and kissed her bare shoulder. 'Babe, I'm already hard just watchin' you walk in that thing. I don't think I can make it to your place,' he said, lips against her skin.

She caught his hand as it moved under her skirt. 'Trust me, man. This is gonna be worth waitin' for,' she said. Her lips brushed his for a second before she pushed him away.

Vinnie sighed in frustration. 'Fine, just drive fast.' He seemed to notice her car for the first time as he walked around to the passenger side. 'New ride? Hey, you got a tail light out.'

'Yeah, yeah. I know,' she muttered and sat in the driver's seat. 'I killed the bitch that did it though.'

Vinnie laughed next to her. 'Quit playin' gangsta and start drivin'.'

It was just after one in the morning, and the streets were near empty save for the occasional taxi. Lachance kept an eye out for any prowling cops but her luck was in and she saw none. Vinnie turned on the radio and air-drummed along to the songs as she sang. The car rode up on the curb once, making them both laugh.

They stumbled into her apartment, lips locked. Lachance pulled back breathless, and kicked off her shoes before Vinnie covered her mouth with his again. He practically carried her into the bedroom and threw her down on the unmade bed.

'Dude, just, hold up,' she said between kisses.

'Shut up, you know you want it.' Vinnie reached under her dress, pulled her panties down and tossed them onto the floor with the other piles of clothes. 'You're keepin' the fuckin' dress on though,' he said.

Lachance stopped trying to tell him about the bags of coke she had stashed under the bed and moaned against his neck as he pushed two fingers inside her, her hands pulling at his belt.

**x.x.x**

'Lachance, you in there?' Troy's voice called from the other side of her front door. He knocked again.

'Fuckin' hurry up,' she hissed at Vinnie as he hopped around the bedroom, one leg in his jeans.

'Is he your fuckin' dad or what?' he hissed back.

That made Lachance smile. She unlocked the door and pulled it open partway. 'You coulda just called, man.'

Troy frowned and tried to look past her. 'I did. Got worried when you didn't call me back.'

'Well, you can see I'm fine so...' She tried to close the door but Troy put his foot in the gap and pushed past her. 'Dude, the fuck?'

'Hey, man,' Vinnie said casually, now fully dressed.

'Hey,' Troy said, still frowning.

Vinnie lifted the black rucksack that sat on the floor next to the bedroom door and kissed Lachance. 'By the end of the week, yeah?'

'Cool, see you around, man,' she watched Vinnie as he nodded to Troy and left. When the door closed, she turned and fixed Troy with a look. 'Seriously?'

'Do you know who that was?' Troy demanded.

'Ugh, back off, judgey. That wasn't some random guy I picked up in a bar. I've known Vinnie for a year.'

'So, is he your dealer?' Troy stepped forwards and pulled her chin up to look into her eyes. 'Did you use last night?'

Lachance scowled and wrenched away from his hand. 'No. I made a deal with you. But thanks for trustin' me, asshole.'

'What am I supposed to think when you don't return my calls and I find a scumbag like Vincent Moretti leavin' your place?'

'Yo, how do you know who he is?' she asked.

Troy hesitated. 'Second-in-command, remember? I gotta know this shit. Anyway, you haven't said what he was doin' here.'

Something about the way he paused before answering didn't feel right, but she pushed it aside for now. 'Dude, you gotta ask? We fucked. Hard.'

'You're worth more than that guy, Lachance,' he said quietly. His eyes moved down to her bare legs.

Lachance pulled the hem of her long t-shirt down over the round purple bite mark on her inner thigh. She shrugged, but his tone had taken the fight out of her. 'Do you want breakfast?'

Troy sighed, and brought his eyes back to hers. 'Sure, kid. Put on some clothes and I'll make us some coffee.'

Lachance walked into her room and closed the door behind her. She scraped her hair back into a messy bun and pulled on a pair of soft grey sweat pants. After rubbing off the worst of the smudged black makeup from under her eyes, she opened the door again to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Troy was in the kitchen, his back resting against a cupboard as usual when she walked in.

'Bacon and pancakes okay?' she asked, as she pulled open the fridge and looked inside. She grabbed a pack of applewood-smoked bacon, an egg, a stick of butter and a bottle of milk.

Troy was staring at her strangely when she straightened up. 'What did he mean - 'by the end of the week'?'

Lachance put the ingredients onto the counter-top, deftly catching the egg in one hand as the little fucker rolled off the edge. 'I wasn't gonna tell you just yet,' she said. 'Vinnie's an independent dealer, yeah? Well, he's been non-stop bitchin' about his supply dryin' up, and it just so happens I managed to get hold of a few kilos of pure, white Colombian coke.'

Troy groaned and rubbed a hand across his face. 'Please don't tell me you stole it from the Los Carnales' labs.'

'Yo, it was only gonna get blown up. Seemed like such a waste.' Lachance reached up into a cupboard and brought down a bag of flour. 'He's gonna wire the money to me by the end of the week. I earned $100K for the Saints, man. Cheer the fuck up.'

'That's assumin' he pays you.'

'Ha, he wouldn't dare screw me over. I know where he lives.'

'And what happens when the Los Carnales notice that some two-bit dealer like Moretti is sellin' Colombian product?' Troy asked.

'Ah. Shit.' She bit her lip. 'It'll be fine, yo. Vinnie will cut that coke all to hell, it won't be recognisable on the streets.'

'Can you trust him if he does get caught? How do you know he ain't just gonna sell you out to save his own worthless ass?' Troy took a sip of his coffee.

Lachance thought for a moment. 'How about I ride with him when he's slangin'? Keep an eye on him, protect him from the Carnales...'

'Nope, no way. The less time you spend around people like that, the better.'

'Shut up, man. It's the perfect solution, win-fuckin'-win.' She smiled. 'Now, how crispy do you like your bacon?'

**x.x.x**

Troy speared the last piece of fluffy golden pancake with his fork, and wiped it around his plate to mop up the remaining smear of maple syrup.

'Where did you learn to cook?' he asked her with his mouth full.

Lachance sat with one leg folded beneath her on the couch. 'Juvie. I did some catering courses and shit. It's no big deal.' She drained the last of her coffee as he swallowed.

'You're really good, kid. I can see why you wrinkle your nose in Freckle Bitch's.'

'Ugh, that whole shitty franchise should be closed down.' Lachance made a face.

Troy leaned forwards to put his plate on top of hers on the coffee table. 'Will you tell me now why you were in juvie?' he asked as he sat back.

'Manslaughter - three counts, diminished capacity. So nothin' worse than you already know about me, man,' she said with a shrug.

'How old were you?' Troy was watching her face with those warm brown eyes, like he was still weighing her up. She rubbed her nose.

'Fourteen,' she said.

'Jesus.'

'See, I knew you'd say that. Why ask if you don't wanna know the fuckin' answer?' Lachance snapped. She stood angrily, grabbed the plates, and strode into the kitchen. The plates crashed against each other as she dropped them carelessly into the sink.

'C'mon, I'm sorry. Lachance, look at me.' Troy took her gently by the shoulders and turned her around to face him. Her stomach flipped over when he brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. That sweet feeling was quickly wiped away when he quietly asked his next question. 'Was it the guys who abused you?'

'For fuck's sake, I don't wanna talk about that. _Get off me!'_ she shouted as she struggled out of his grip.

Troy backed away and held his hands up. Lachance stared at him, and blinked hard against the hot tears that threatened behind her eyes.

'Lachance-'

'Don't. I can't do this shit, man.' She wrapped her arms around her chest. 'We're cool, okay? Just leave me alone for a bit. I'll be fine for the race tonight.'

'Okay. I'm sorry. I'll pick you up later, about nine?' Troy asked carefully.

'Yeah. See you later.'

After she heard the front door close behind him, Lachance slid down against the cupboard to sit on the cold tiled floor. She rested her head on her knees but would not allow the tears to fall.


	10. Chapter 10

The sky was turning from pink to purple when Troy pulled up outside of her apartment block. The days were getting shorter as summer wound down, soon autumn would blow in with its gale force winds and lashing rain, but for now the balmy weather in Stilwater meant she didn't need more than a light jacket on a night. He left the engine ticking over as he got out and let her sit in the driver's seat.

'Hey man, I'm sorry about earlier,' Lachance said as he dropped into the passenger seat next to her.

'Listen, don't be sorry. You're not the first to tell me I ask too many questions,' he said and gave her a quick, tight smile. He seemed distant.

'Thanks.' She pulled the seat closer to the pedals. He had it winched back to accommodate his long legs. 'You sure you're okay with me drivin' your car? I'd be all weird if someone else got behind the wheel of my ride.'

'I think both you and Lin have made it abundantly clear that I ain't the best person for this job, kid.'

'You just stick way too much to the rules of the road, yo. Rules are there to be broken,' she said as she revved the engine and felt its barely restrained power. Lin was right, it sang.

'Just don't wreck my car, and we'll be fine. Oh, and there's no smokin' in here either,' he said, knocking the cigarette out of her hand before she pulled out her lighter.

Lachance looked around at the pristine interior and leaned forwards to retrieve the cigarette from the footwell. 'Huh, really? You some kinda OCD neat freak? Bet my crib makes you twitch.'

'There's a reason I stay in the kitchen. Would it kill you to clean up once in a while… what?' Troy noticed she was grinning at him.

'Nothin'... dad.'

The smile touched his eyes now at least. 'Fuck off and drive, kid.'

The tyres squealed as she set off in the direction of the suburbs of Stilwater, where the race was scheduled to start.

As she drove, Troy sat forwards, rubbing two fingers against his lips. 'Look, I don't care what Lin says about winnin' this race. I was thinkin' that if we get close to each one and piss 'em off enough they'll hit the nitrous early. We can get this wrapped up quick.'

'Whoa, you don't think I can win this shit, do you?' Lachance asked. She narrowed her eyes. 'Oh, it is so _on_, motherfucker.'

'I didn't say that. Quit takin' everything as a challenge. It was just a suggestion.'

Lachance frowned slightly at the sharpness of his tone. 'Yo, you get tetchy when you don't have a smoke in your hand, man.' She pulled up at a pedestrian crossing and shot him a look.

'I got a lot on my mind at the moment. And sometimes bein' around you can be hard work- Just hear me out,' he said, holding up a hand as she opened her mouth to make a comeback. 'I'm never sure where I stand with you. Half the time I don't know if I wanna shake you, or hug you or… I dunno.'

Lachance stared at him for a moment, until the blast of a car horn behind her signalled that the light had turned green. She turned back to the road and accelerated hard. 'Whatever,' she said with a shrug. She liked Troy. A lot. But whether it was as a surrogate father figure, a friend, or because she wanted him inside her, she couldn't make up her mind. No wonder the poor guy was confused.

She checked the clock on the dashboard as she brought the car to a stop at the end of a leafy avenue. They still had another fifteen minutes to wait before the start, so she switched off the engine.

A group of Rollerz members had their cars parked in the vast front garden of one of the houses further down the street. The cars were all tricked out with huge spoilers, cavernous exhausts, and thundering sound systems. Girls draped themselves over the vehicles and their owners. One of them got down on her knees in front of a stocky blonde guy, to the delighted whoops of his blue-clad brothers. They high-fived him over her bobbing head.

'Ugh, I can see why Lin hates these fuckers so much,' Lachance said, turning her attention back to Troy.

He rubbed his chin. 'I worry about her, doin' this. You roll with people long enough, and pretty soon you start thinkin' like 'em.'

'The fuck? Lin is a Saint through and through. How can you even say shit like that? She would kick your ass, man,' Lachance said. 'And you don't just forget who you are 'cause you're hangin' with different people, yo. If you do, then you was never the person you thought you was at the start.'

Troy seemed to consider her words for a long time before he spoke again. 'You talk a lot of shit, Lachance. But then every so often you go and say somethin' like that.'

'It's 'cause I'm all worldly-wise, man. Hey, do you want to hear my theory on-'

'Nope.'

'Spoilsport.' She checked the clock again and looked out of her side window at the row of well-maintained, detached houses and their neat gardens. Her hands tapped out a rhythm on the steering wheel. 'Would you ever wanna live somewhere like this?'

'Why not? It's a nice neighbourhood.'

'Hmm, it'd drive me fuckin' crazy. Bet they have some douchebag who comes round and measures the length of your lawn every week. Where did you grow up, man?'

'Now who's askin' all the questions?' Troy asked, irritation starting to creep back into his voice. 'Can't you just sit still and be quiet for five minutes?'

'S'cuse me for breathin',' Lachance muttered. She lapsed into a moody silence.

The Rollerz started to get into their cars, and the three that had been modified by Samson were lined up in the street to start the race. Lachance fired up the Zircon. The engine rumbled as she slowly brought it up to the blue and white car at the back. Troy wound down his window and leaned out. 'Hey, you little pricks think you can drive? I'll bet even my girl can leave you standin', motherfucker,' he shouted to the young guy behind the wheel.

'You want some of this?' The guy yelled back, grabbing his crotch. 'I can see your bitch does, ain't that right baby? C'mon then, let's see how you do, and maybe I'll let your girl suck my cock when you get your asses kicked.'

'My girl?' Lachance whispered. She'd felt a shot of butterflies when the words had come out of his mouth.

'Just go with it,' he whispered back.

Engines were revved hard, the cars rocking on their suspensions as the racers waited for the signal to go. One of the girls sashayed out into the middle of the street and held up her arms. Lachance brought the revs up, listening. When she dropped her arms, Lachance slipped the clutch, spun the tires, and _launched_. The car shot down the street, narrowly missing the girl, and Troy hollered out of the window at the two cars now behind them.

'You Rollerz are a fuckin' joke,' he yelled.

The race course had been marked out with pairs of burning barrels on either side of the road. Lachance threw the car into the first corner, making sure to angle it so they clipped the apex. The Zircon was still trying to swing its heavy ass but she held it in check and gently gave the gas pedal more pressure as the road straightened out. They were now right behind the lead car.

'Fuck me,' she breathed. In the rear-view mirror, she watched as the car that had started next to them was engulfed in a ball of orange flames. It had been trailing in last place, so the driver must have tried to use the nitrous oxide boost and triggered Samson's explosives. She dragged her attention back to the road as Troy yelled at the remaining car behind them.

The engine whined as she dropped down through the gears in preparation for another tight corner, and she managed to accelerate out of the bend and pull into first place. The guy she'd just passed slammed his hand against his steering wheel in frustration as she and Troy made a variety of rude hand gestures out of their windows, laughing.

It was exhilarating, hearing the car roar, feeling the wind whip at her hair as it streamed in through the open windows. 'That all you got?' she shouted.

'Didn't know who you were fuckin' with, did ya?' Troy shouted.

They whooped together as the car in second place burst into flames.

'Man, this is fuckin' awesome,' she yelled as they passed between two more flaming barrels.

'I think you might have to slow down to give this final fucker a chance,' Troy said with a laugh.

Lachance flicked her eyes back to the rear-view mirror. 'Or maybe not,' she said. The car flashed blue and then exploded up from the road, and spun away to crash through a fence and into someone's front yard.

'Lin doesn't fuck around does she?' Troy said, watching the flaming wreckage. 'C'mon, let's get outta here.'

**x.x.x**

Near the church, she grabbed the handbrake and threw the car into a squealing 180 degree turn to park perfectly just outside the churchyard.

She ran her hands over the steering wheel. 'I love this car, man. I'm gonna get Lin to tune up my ride.'

'It helps that you're one damn fine driver, Lachance. Jesus.'

She turned and met his eyes. Maybe it was just because his blood was up from the race, but there was something in the way that he looked at her, and it helped make up her mind about what she wanted. She leaned towards him, feeling her heartbeat quicken as he reached out to pull her closer. Their lips met gently at first, as if they were both unsure about how the other would react. Lachance's breath hitched when his hand moved from her arm to lightly brush over her breast, and she tangled her fingers through his hair to kiss him deeper.

With a grunt, Troy grabbed the belt loops of her jeans and hauled her over so she could straddle him in the passenger seat. After he pulled off her jacket she unfastened her gun belt and dropped them both onto the driver's side. Her lips trailed across the line of his jaw, and she bit his earlobe, feeling his hands run from her hips up under her jersey and bra.

'You drive me fuckin' crazy,' he said, his breath ragged. She laughed against his ear and his lean body tightened underneath her.

'In a good way or a bad way?' She sat up and looked directly into his brown eyes as she moved against the growing hardness in his pants.

'Both.'

Before she could get offended, he slipped one hand behind her back to crush her body and lips against his. His tongue pushed into her mouth as he pinched her nipple, making her moan low in her throat and reach for his belt and the buttons on his jeans.

There wasn't enough room in the front. Lachance broke away and slid between the two seats to the back of the car, kicking off her boots and wriggling out of her skinny jeans as she did so. She gave him her dirtiest smile and tugged at his shirt. Troy climbed into the back with her. It was still cramped, and she accidently caught his jaw with her elbow as she laid under him and tried to put her arms around his neck. 'Shit! Sorry.'

'Ow.' A half-smile twisted his mouth as he poked his tongue out at her. 'Yo, is it bleedin'?' he asked, mimicking her hoodrat accent.

'It will be, bitch.' She laughed and snapped her teeth at him. His mouth covered hers as she used her legs to slide his jeans down over his hips. Only the thin cotton fabric of their underwear separated them as he rubbed against her. She moved with him, arching her back. 'I wanna fuck you so bad,' she gasped.

'Oh fuckin' hell, Lachance,' he said with a groan. His breath was shaky. 'Just… are you sure?'

'Really? Yeah, I'm sure.'

Troy pushed himself up on his hands to run his eyes over her body. A frown crossed his face when they fell on the bite mark on her thigh. He sat back, face flushed, and touched the bruise lightly with a fingertip. 'Ah, shit. This is such a fucked up idea.'

'Ugh, why?' Lachance threw her head back in frustration. She was aching for him. 'Forget about Vinnie, he don't mean nothin', man.'

'It's not just that.' Troy paused. 'You're so young, Lachance. People will say I'm abusin' my position, takin' advantage of you.'

'C'mon, I don't give a fuck what anyone says.'

'But anyone could just walk past us out here,' he said, and waved his hand at the church.

'Then let's go back to mine. It's, like, a ten minute drive away, man.' Lachance sat up. She was starting to get the sick feeling that this wasn't going to go anywhere.

Troy ran a hand over his face. 'This isn't right, kid. I'm sorry.'

Lachance bristled at the word 'kid'. 'You fuckin' married or some shit? The fuck is goin' on?' she asked angrily.

The look that crossed Troy's face was hard to read. 'I can't explain… you wouldn't understand.'

'Oh fuck that.' Lachance pulled on her jeans, grabbed her gun, jacket, and boots from the front seat, and opened the rear passenger door. 'Yo, this is bullshit. I'm done.'

'Lachance, wait.' Troy hiked his jeans up with one hand and stepped out in front of her as she tried to walk away.

'No. You said you don't know where you stand with me, but that's totally what you make me feel like.' Lachance glared up at him. 'So I'm gonna make it real fuckin' simple. You're my homie, I got your back but that's it. Now get outta my way before I knock you the fuck out.' She strode into an alley and pulled on her boots when she was certain he hadn't followed her. That jerk-off could go and… jerk off. Pussy-teasing motherfucker.

Lachance was still angry half an hour later when she kicked open the door to her apartment. She downed several large measures of whiskey before stripping naked and throwing herself into bed.


	11. Chapter 11

Bright sunlight streamed in through her bedroom window, telling Lachance she had forgotten to draw the curtains last night. She lifted her head from the pillow. Her cell phone was vibrating away to itself on the floor somewhere. When she found it under the bed, the time was 11:27 am, and the incoming call read 'Gat'.

'What is it, man?' she asked, her voice still heavy from sleep.

_'Yo, I wake you? Lazy bitch,'_ Johnny said with amusement.

'Bite me.'

_'Shut up. I just got a tip that Tanya Winters is settin' up shop in the old Sunnyvale police station-'_

Lachance sat up, suddenly wide awake. 'In Shivington?'

_'Yeah. Well, that seemed to get your attention. Anyway, I talked to Julius, he gave me the okay to go in with a crew and I want you to come too. You're welcome. I'm over at the church. Get your ass out of bed and meet me here, but don't wait too long… we got some murderin' to do.'_

There was a beep as Johnny ended the call. Lachance bit her lip. She kicked off the bed covers and had a quick shower before dressing in dark grey jeans and a loose purple t-shirt that hung down over her butt. She pulled on a pair of tan leather boots, fastened her gun belt around her hips, and grabbed her studded leather jacket. As she dressed, she told herself not to think about what happened last night. If she saw Troy today, she'd just ignore the fucker.

She stopped at Friendly Fire on her way to the church, for a few last minute purchases.

**x.x.x**

'Good thing you're here. I already sent the others on ahead and I was about to leave without you.' Johnny picked up a baseball bat from the arsenal of weapons that had been laid out on the desk in his office. A variety of guns, knives, and blunt trauma implements awaited his inspection.

Lachance watched as he turned and gave the bat some experimental swings, the large muscles in his arms and back rippling under the fabric of his purple shirt. He moved like a martial artist; a blend of power and grace. She managed to drag her gaze up from his ass just in time as he spun to face her. He shrugged and put it down. 'I don't think I'm feelin' the bat today.' His hand moved to a nickel-plated pistol. 'This is always the hardest part for me, you know? Balancing stoppin' power with personal enjoyment.'

Lachance walked over to the desk, and ran her hand over an assault rifle. 'Honestly bro? If there's some fucker in my way, I just wanna put 'em down fast. It's not about enjoyment for me, not really, unless it's fuckin' personal.' Her eyes met his.

Johnny shrugged. 'Huh. And here I had you tagged as a fellow card-carryin' psychopath.' He tucked the pistol into the back of his pants, pushed a switchblade into a ankle holster and stepped over to a Tombstone pump-action shotgun. 'Ooh, yeah. I'm feelin' this. It ain't gonna be easy clearin' out all those VK. You sure you've brought the right weapon?' he asked, nodding to the revolver at her hip.

'What do you mean?'

'C'mon, that thing holds what, six rounds? If you run outta ammo on me after I've given you this chance today, then I'm gonna be sorely disappointed.'

Lachance gave him a coy smile as she walked around to his side of the desk, and put a hand on the zipper of her jacket. 'I got somethin' under here that will change your mind.'

'Oh yeah?' His lips curled in a half smile. As she unzipped, his eyes roved over her chest. 'Girl, you're gonna get me into so much trouble,' he said quietly.

She laughed and slapped his hand away as he reached for the bandolier that crossed her torso. 'Hey, you can look but don't touch. This baby holds sixty-five rounds, man. I bet you run outta ammo first.'

He flashed her a grin. 'You're on. Let's ride.' He slung the shotgun casually over one shoulder and led the way out of the church to his car.

Lachance had noticed the shiny purple and gold Venom before. The high-end sports car looked like it had been created solely for speed, but she still preferred the classic lines of her older model. As she sat in the passenger seat, Johnny dropped the Tombstone in her lap.

'Dude, I got my own gun,' she said.

'Yo, when you ride shotgun with me, you get a fuckin' shotgun.' Johnny turned the key in the ignition and floored the gas. 'First lesson. You won't hit anythin' from a movin' vehicle with a handgun. The spread on somethin' like that is what you need.'

She made a non-committal noise, but laughed when she looked more closely at the firearm. '_Property of Stilwater P.D.,_' she read. 'Fuckin' A. You kill a cop for this? I gotta get me one.'

She heard Johnny chuckle as he swung the car squealing around a corner, barely slowing down. 'We may have more in common than I first thought.'

Lachance grabbed onto the dashboard as he braked hard and twisted the wheel to avoid an oncoming car. 'Shit! Call me a little bitch but do you even have a licence?' she asked, trying not to flinch as a lamppost flashed past her window.

'Hell no. I don't need no bit of paper to tell me I can drive, man.'

So this was how she was going to die, she thought, as another car hurtled towards them. Johnny swore loudly out of his window at the hapless motorist, then turned to grin at her. 'Eesh hates my drivin' too. Maybe it's a chick thing. She says hi, by the way.'

'How is she?' Lachance tried not to look at the road. Unlike her Classic, the modern Venom had an automatic gearbox. As her eyes fell to the floor she saw that Johnny used one foot for each pedal, torturing the drivetrain. Her mom would have slapped him, psychopath or no.

'She's good. Bored at bein' dead already. Has to do all her shoppin' outta catalogues now, so that's a win for me,' he said.

Lachance smiled at the thought of the thug next to her sitting outside of a shop changing room, waiting hours for Aisha. She bet the big guy was totally pussy-whipped. 'Yo, I'm glad she's okay. I like her.'

'Hmm, she likes you too. Fuck knows why.'

'I'm adorable.'

Johnny snorted and ran a red light over a pedestrian crossing, holding up his middle finger to the elderly woman he nearly hit. 'Senile old fart,' he muttered.

'Any word on Josh?' she asked. The last she heard, the guy who had been gutshot at the Raykins Hotel wasn't doing good.

'No worse, but no better.' Johnny's hands tightened on the wheel. 'Make sure you're locked and loaded. We got another shot at Tanya today, only this time the bitch is gonna get what's comin' to her.'

'Fuck yeah she is.' Her hands moved quickly as she filled the two speedloaders dangling from her wrist, and she made sure all the chambers of her revolver were full. Finally, she slipped a set of spiked knuckles over her free hand and flexed her fingers.

Johnny gave her a sidelong glance. 'You know, I got a good feelin' about this. I think it'll be a nice bondin' experience.'

'I just hope you can keep up with me in there,' she said casually. 'Hey, if you cut through this alley on the left, it'll bring you right out in front of the old station.'

'Huh.' Johnny threw the car around at the last minute, leaving strips of rubber on the asphalt as he dived through the alley. 'Well, look at that. You weren't wrong.' He parked, grabbed the shotgun from her knee, and leapt out of the car to get a head start. Lachance swore and ran after him.

**x.x.x**

Lachance whistled. 'Girl, you're one ratchet-ass bitch.'

Tanya Winters stood with one hand on her hip, gazing out of a window as if Johnny, Lachance and the other Saints had not just torn through the derelict police station and left countless VK dead and dying. The woman had been running around the station in nothing but her underwear, or so it seemed. She was wearing a white bra, tiny skirt and stockings, and the nastiest pair of fuck-me heels Lachance had ever seen.

Big Sue had taken the rest of the crew outside, to stand guard in case any VK reinforcements showed up while Johnny and Lachance took out the queen of whores.

Tanya threw her a sideways glance, before stars exploded in Lachance's vision and she dropped to the floor. Her stomach lurched at the sickening pain in her head as she tried to move, so instead she squeezed her eyes shut and rested her cheek against the musty carpet. She concentrated on just not passing out or throwing up. Johnny would never let her live it down.

Johnny. Her eyes snapped open and focused dizzily on his shoes. How come that motherfucker hadn't taken a brick or whatever to the back of the head? Not fair. She tried to listen to the fuzzy sounds of voices above her.

'Watch your fuckin' mouth.' That was a deep voice, a guy called Anthony Green (aka 'Big Tony'), who was the VK's enforcer. Johnny had explained more about the gang's leadership as they had fought back to back through the station. Big Tony was fucking Tanya, and Lachance cursed herself for not checking the room for the bastard before she got a bead on the bitch. Too late now.

'Hey, no reason to be hostile.' Johnny replied. Lachance groaned as his shotgun clattered to the floor near his shoes. There was a moment of silence. She tried to shift her weight but her mouth filled with saliva and her head threatened to split in two.

'He packin' anything else?' That was Tanya talking, her voice shrill and nasal.

'Just some rubbers,' Johnny said. 'I was hopin' to get some of Williams' sloppy seconds-' There was a loud crack, and Johnny landed on the floor within Lachance's view. Now it was fair. He caught her eye and raised his eyebrow. 'Fuck, uh, guess I hit a nerve.'

Lachance managed to smile. Johnny had told her how he reckoned Tanya was also fucking a guy called Warren Williams, second-in-command of the VK. She touched the back of her head and her fingers came away sticky.

'I'm gon' kill you, you… dick,' she slurred at Big Tony.

The deep voice behind them spoke again. 'Do yourselves a favour - stay down and shut the fuck up. You Third Street motherfuckas think you're so smart. Well check this out, we ain't impressed. Hell, the only reason you came as far as you did was 'cause King let you.' He laughed. 'Can you hear that? We led you here, right where we wanted you, and now the cops are gonna finish yo' asses for good.'

Police sirens were approaching the building, getting louder. Lachance had assumed she and Johnny were going to be killed in this place - that's what she would have done if their positions had been reversed. But now it seemed that Benjamin King, the leader of the VK, only wanted them arrested instead. Perhaps the old playa was going soft…

Lachance slowly pushed herself up onto her hands and knees as Johnny did the same.

'Well, that explains how your bitch lost the Raykins Hotel,' Johnny said.

'Are you gonna let him talk about me like that?' Tanya whined.

'Don't worry baby, I got this.'

As Big Tony spoke, Johnny swayed towards Lachance and gently bumped her shoulder with his. 'Be ready,' he breathed. In a louder voice he said, 'Yeah Tanya, shut the fuck up.'

'I thought I told you to be quiet,' said Big Tony.

Johnny stood up. 'I got shitty hearing.'

The shotgun blast was deafening at such close range. She felt a puff of fine mist against her face as Johnny fell back to the floor, clutching his leg. It must have been his blood she felt, she realised dumbly.

He roared in pain and rage, and drew his switchblade. He slammed the knife into Big Tony's foot, and tackled the huge black guy to the floor. When he shouted at Lachance to run, she didn't hesitate. She stumbled to her feet and shoulder-barged Tanya out of the way as she headed towards the window. The floor seemed to roll beneath her feet as she pulled her jacket over her head and braced herself for the impact against the glass, and then she was airborne. She landed hard on a dumpster, shards of glass raining down around her. There were several pieces embedded in her shoulder and upper arm but she had to keep moving as a bullet struck the wall by her head.

She knew these streets. She turned and ran into a small alley that led into a communal garden, then vaulted over a fence. After doubling-back to make sure she wasn't being followed by VK or cops, she stepped out in front of a young Hispanic guy on a moped. Whether it was the blood that covered her or the look in her eyes that made him almost trip-up in his haste to get off the vehicle, she would never know. What she did know is that she had to get back to the church, and that she had never known a man as badass as Johnny fucking Gat.

**x.x.x**

Lachance fell on her hands and knees at the foot of the stone steps, and tasted blood on her lips.

'Shit, hey! Somebody give me a hand here,' shouted Noah. He ran over from the churchyard wall and hauled her up. She grit her teeth and made it up the steps with his help, and a guy called Danny took her other side. Once inside the church, they lowered her down onto a pew near the door and the other Saints crowded around her, like concerned big brothers. Troy was nowhere to be seen.

Dex came running from the back offices, and swore loudly when he saw the state she was in. Julius followed closely behind.

'Boss, they got Gat,' Lachance said as Julius took her face in his hands. His palms were cool against her skin. 'It was a fuckin' set-up-'

'We know.' Julius said. 'Kowalski got away from the cops and made it back here just before you. Dex, call the doctor.'

'Already on it,' she heard Dex reply.

'Yo, we have to go back. Big Tony shot him and, ah shit...' She tried to stand but the room spun and she sat back down.

'Whoa, playa. Take it easy. Tell me what happened.'

Lachance took a deep breath and tried to remember everything. Her head hurt like a motherfucker, making it hard to think straight. She recounted what she could, and he pressed his lips together when she'd finished.

'Yo, I say we roll up right now and-' the Saint who had started talking was interrupted by Julius.

'And what, son? They'll be long gone by now and the cops will be crawlin' over Shivington. The VK ain't gonna kill Johnny. Not yet anyhow, or Big Tony wouldn't have aimed for his leg, you feel me? We just gotta wait it out. He's one tough son of a bitch, and we will bring him back home.'

Julius walked over to Dex and spoke in his ear. Dex nodded.

Lachance accepted a smoke from Noah as Dex knelt in front of her. He was trying not to look at her shoulder. 'Hey, the doc will be here soon. Let's get you into the back to get patched up.' He helped her up gently and walked with her into Julius' office. She sat on a chair as he brought out a first aid kit from the top drawer of a metal filing cabinet, and tore open the wrapping of a wet-wipe.

'Dude, I know you don't like this stuff. I don't mind waiting for the doc,' she said as he clenched his jaw and started to clean Johnny's blood from her face.

'I ain't as bad as you think. It's weird, I'm okay with blood but if I see an actual injury my stomach is all like 'aw hell no', and, well you can guess.' He gave her an embarrassed smile.

Lachance couldn't resist. 'So how 'bout all this glass and shit hangin' outta my arm, bro?' she asked, turning it towards him.

'Aw, that is just not cool, girl,' he said in dismay, looking away quickly.

She laughed. 'Shit, Dex. I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself.' She grabbed his denim jacket. 'Hold up, I won't do it again. Pinky swear.'

He gave her a mistrustful look before wiping the rest of her face. 'How do you feel?' he asked.

'Shit,' she said bluntly. 'I shouldn't have left Gat.'

'No, I mean do you have a headache, feel sick? Listen, don't blame yourself for leavin' him. He woulda kicked your ass if you hadn't.'

'Still feel shit, yo. No matter how this goes down, I'm gonna be the one to bring him back. I owe him.'

'I hear you. Oh, hey doc,' Dex said as Dr Gupta made his way over to her chair carrying a large black doctor's bag. His delicate hands moved over the back of her head as he inspected the wound there.

Dr Gupta removed the cigarette from the side of Lachance's mouth and tutted. 'What happened?'

When she told him how she had been hit with the butt of a shotgun, and had to jump out of a window, the doctor didn't even raise an eyebrow, but he did take a drag from her cigarette. He removed the glass and put a few stitches in the deepest cuts on her shoulder before dealing with her head.

'Please pass me a razor blade from my bag, young man. Forgive me, Lachance, but I'm going to have to shave your head,' Dr Gupta said.

She froze. 'You're kiddin', right?'

The doctor laughed softly. 'Yes, I'm kidding. The cut itself is not too bad.'

'Oh, fuck you,' she breathed in relief. 'Yo, not funny, doc. I was just about to…' Her hand went to her hip. Her revolver was missing. Dr Gupta and Dex exchanged a glance at some of the more creative profanity that came out of her mouth. When she had calmed down somewhat, the doctor cleaned the back of her head and used surgical glue to stick the wound together. It stung like a bitch, but losing her gun hurt more. He asked her some questions about how she felt and if she had lost consciousness at any point, then suggested that, for safety, she should stay with family or one of the other Saints overnight in case of concussion.

Lachance immediately thought of Troy then pushed the idea away angrily. She looked up at Dex and didn't even have to ask the question.

'Sure, you can stay round my place,' he said with a smile.


End file.
